Portal Software
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | John Little, Dave Labuda |
| Fate | Acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2006 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco Bay Area , United States |
Key people | John Little (Founder), Dave Labuda (Co-founder and CEO), Bhaskar Gorti (SVP Worldwide Marketing and Sales), JK Chelladurai (India Development Center Manager), Bruce Grainger (VP Americas), Tim Porter (EMEA Operations) |
| Products | Portal Infranet billing and revenue management system |
| Parent | Oracle Corporation (since 2006) |
Portal Software, Inc. originated in 1985 under the name Portal Information Network, established by John Little as one of the pioneering Internet service providers in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company initially delivered Internet email access through modems and subsequently expanded to include FTP services.
In 1992, Little redirected the company’s efforts from ISP operations to creating account management solutions tailored for other ISPs, identifying an emerging demand in this niche. The ISP segment was divested to Sprint, and the firm was rebranded as Portal Software in 1993, with Dave Labuda joining as co-founder. Together, they developed a scalable, real-time enterprise software platform designed to handle customer and revenue management within internet and telecommunications industries.
The core offering from Portal Software was the Portal Infranet billing and revenue management system, primarily aimed at telecommunications providers and ISPs. It gained prominence as a leading vendor in this field, supporting prominent clients including PSINet, AOL Time Warner, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, France Télécom, iG Brazil, Juno Online Services, KPN, Orange UK, Reuters, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Sprint Canada, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, TIM, U.S. Cellular, Vodafone, SaskTel, and XM Satellite Radio. To strengthen its telecom rating capabilities, Portal acquired InteGrate software from Solution42, a German company specializing in advanced telecommunications rating solutions, addressing limitations found in Portal’s own real-time rating engine.
In 2006, Oracle Corporation purchased Portal Software for an estimated $220 million. Following the acquisition, Portal became a division within Oracle, integrating with core Oracle product lines such as Siebel (CRM), PeopleSoft (ERP/CRM), and JD Edwards (ERP). At the time of acquisition, leadership included CEO Dave Labuda; Bhaskar Gorti as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Sales; JK Chelladurai managing the India development center; Bruce Grainger serving as Vice President for the Americas; and Tim Porter overseeing operations in EMEA.