"One of the things you have to keep in mind is that smashing together these product lines is not strategic," says Kevin Cunnigham, president and co-founder of SailPonit, which develops identity management software for compliance and access certification. "Identity is not the main focus of this deal."

Oracle will have other to distract it, including systems management, where Oracle will improve its chances to win systems management deals from existing enterprise customers by bringing Sun's management technologies such as Ops Center and Management Center into its portfolio.

The advice some are giving to corporate users that have invested in Oracle or Sun identity technology is: Don't panic.

"A good thing is that this closes a period of uncertainty about the Sun portfolio [since the IBM offer]," says Bob Blakley, vice president and research director for the Burton Group's identity and privacy strategies practice. Blakley says as the deal closes, Oracle management likely won't address identity until the more compelling , such as the database, are worked out. "So there will be a period where not much happens and it is business as usual."

Therefore, Blakley says, users should not make any rash decisions.