As Oracle Agile PLM approaches end of life, product companies face a pivotal decision: remain tethered to a legacy on-premises system or embrace a modern, cloud-native solution. Arena by PTC offers a proven path forward—one that eliminates infrastructure burdens, enhances collaboration, and accelerates product development. This white paper explores why Arena is the superior choice, how it transforms business outcomes, and what makes the transition seamless.
Oracle has officially announced that Premier Support for Agile PLM will end on December 31, 2027. After this date, the platform will no longer receive critical bug fixes or new security patches. As Oracle shifts its focus and Agile PLM subject matter experts become less available, organizations relying on this legacy system may face increased exposure to cybersecurity threats and compliance violations—especially as auditors might view continued use as a breach of standards.
Given these risks, now is the ideal time for companies to begin planning their migration to a modern, cloud-native PLM solution like Arena.
Arena is built from the ground up as a cloud-native platform, eliminating the need for servers, firewalls, or VPNs. With automatic updates, users always have access to the latest features and security enhancements—no downtime required. Its web-based access and multilingual interface enable global teams to collaborate from anywhere and work together seamlessly.
By eliminating IT overhead and maintenance expenses, Arena reduces total cost of ownership (TCO), helping companies reallocate resources to innovation and growth.
On-Premises PLM |
||||
|
Capital/Hardware Expenses (amortized over 5 years) |
IT Setup |
Annual Maintenance | Customer Support & System Upgrades | |
| Year 1 | $11,100 | $27,000 | $187,250 | $20,000+ |
| Year 2 | $11,100 | N/A | $187,250 | $20,000+ |
| Year 3 | $11,100 | N/A | $187,250 | $20,000+ |
| Year 5 | $11,100 | N/A | $187,250 | $20,000+ |
| Year 5 | $11,100 | N/A | $187,250 | $20,000+ |
| Sum | $55,500 | $27,000 | $936,250 | $115,000+ |
| Total |
$1,133,750+ |
|||
Customers confirm that making the switch to Arena PLM can save you $1M+ in IT and support expenses over a 5-year period.
Arena’s intuitive no-code platform is easy to configure, integrate, and adopt, eliminating lengthy implementation timelines. Companies go live quickly and realize business impact sooner.
Arena connects seamlessly with computer-aided design (CAD), enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing execution systems (MES), and other enterprise systems—enabling cross-functional teams to execute design, compliance, and manufacturing processes from a single source of truth.
Arena offers validation services, documentation management, and enterprise-grade security to protect sensitive IP. This makes it an ideal solution for companies in regulated industries seeking to streamline audits and maintain compliance with regulatory frameworks such as FDA, MDR, ISO, ITAR, and CMMC.
Arena enables organizations to bring products to market faster by supporting rapid iteration and quick responses to changing market demands. Its platform includes advanced features such as embedded analytics, automation tools, AI-assisted workflows, and supply chain intelligence, all designed to help teams make smarter decisions. Thanks to Arena’s elastic, multi-tenant architecture, companies can easily scale their operations as their business grows, ensuring flexibility and efficiency at every stage.
Arena has successfully migrated hundreds of Oracle Agile customers, offering a seamless transition with minimal disruption.
With extensive experience using Agile and other legacy systems, Arena’s solution consultants and success coaches apply a proven methodology that minimizes disruption and ensures business continuity throughout the transition.
By removing technical barriers, reducing costs, and enabling secure, compliant, and innovative product development, Arena empowers organizations to focus on what matters most—delivering high-quality products and growing the business.
—Verified User
Custom coding required: Agile relies on process extensions (PXs) that require ongoing development and maintenance.
Upgrade headaches: Customizations often break during upgrades, leading to costly and disruptive projects.
IT dependency: Users must rely on IT for changes, slowing down innovation and responsiveness.
No coding required: Core capabilities are built into Arena, so users can configure workflows and processes without IT or developers.
Agility and empowerment: Changes can be made quickly to adapt to evolving business needs, regulatory changes, or process improvements.
Lower maintenance: No custom scripts or extensions to break during upgrades—everything is managed and updated automatically.
Arena’s no-code approach puts control in the hands of users, enabling faster adaptation and reducing IT burden.
Companies across industries have made the switch from Oracle Agile, Siemens Teamcenter, Dassault 3DEXPERIENCE, Propel, and other legacy PLM systems to Arena, achieving impressive results:
Transitioned from Oracle Agile to unify PLM, QMS, and supply chain collaboration in the Cloud. They achieved an early go-live and high-quality outcomes despite having a lean internal team and the complexity of merging data from two distinct platforms.
Transitioned from on-premises PLM to eliminate costly IT maintenance and accommodate their distributed workforce. The company noted that Arena is easy to configure according to their unique business requirements. It also streamlines engineering change processes and simplifies compliance with various quality and safety regulations.
Chose Arena over Teamcenter and Propel for bill of materials (BOM) and supply chain management. The company cited Arena’s ease of use and regulatory support as key differentiators.
Switched from 3DEXPERIENCE to Arena after unmet expectations with their previous system. Arena’s intuitive interface and rapid deployment helped accelerate their product development timelines.
Adopted Arena for document control and ISO certification readiness. The platform’s built-in compliance tools and collaborative features enabled faster audit preparation and reduced risk.
These cases demonstrate Arena’s ability to deliver smooth migrations, rapid value, and tailored solutions for diverse product development needs.
While Arena delivers several advantages, the drawbacks of on-premises solutions like Oracle Agile are increasingly evident:
On-premises platforms demand significant IT investment: servers, firewalls, VPNs, and ongoing maintenance. Managing these systems requires dedicated resources for hardware upkeep, software updates, and network security. For organizations with a lean IT team, they typically employ a full-time PLM expert, which becomes a costly and resource-intensive commitment.
Without robust IT support, companies struggle to implement adequate security protocols. This exposes sensitive intellectual property (IP) to potential breaches. For businesses regulated by export controls and cybersecurity frameworks such as ITAR, EAR, and CMMC, these vulnerabilities pose serious compliance risks.
Custom coding and version dependencies often lock organizations into outdated software versions, limiting access to new features and enhancements. Even though these companies continue to pay up to 25% in annual support fees, they operate on stagnant systems that no longer align with their business needs.
Moreover, when on-premises licenses are acquired through partners or third-party resellers, the complexity and cost of upgrades increase substantially.
In today’s hybrid work environment, remote accessibility is critical. On-premises systems frequently rely on VPNs and firewalls, which can hinder connectivity and slow down workflows. Employees working from home or across global offices face delays and disruptions that impact productivity.
Limited system agility makes it difficult to adapt to evolving regulatory requirements. Companies in highly regulated industries such as aerospace, medical devices, and defense, face increased exposure to compliance violations and operational inefficiencies.
On-Premises (Agile) |
Cloud-Native (Arena) |
|
| Deployment Duration |
Lengthy |
Fast (weeks, not months) |
| Architecture |
Single-tenant |
Multi-tenant |
| Software Updates |
Manual, disruptive Not included with purchase (additional cost) |
Automatic, seamless Included with purchase (no additional cost) |
| Accessibility |
VPN-dependent |
Anytime, anywhere |
| IT Burden |
High |
Minimal |
| Setup |
Complex Process extensions require custom coding and ongoing maintenance |
Business-driven No coding required |
| Scalability |
Limited |
Elastic |
| Security |
Variable |
Enterprise-grade, multilayered |
Oracle Agile PLM’s sunset is not a setback—it’s an opportunity. Arena’s cloud-native platform empowers companies to innovate faster, collaborate better, and reduce risk. With proven migration services and a thriving customer base, Arena is the logical next step for product companies ready to modernize.
Whether you’re a high-tech, medical device, or aerospace and defense manufacturer, Arena provides the tools and support to help you succeed in today’s competitive landscape. The time to transition is now—and Arena is ready to lead the way.
