Eventually, Oracle plans to extend Platinum Services to all of its products, but no timetable has been set, said Larry Abramson, senior vice president and general manager of ACS, in an interview before the webcast.

Those who wish to access Platinum Services must install a "patented, secure monitoring gateway," which will enable Oracle to deliver those updates and monitor the systems.

In some respects, Platinum Services echoes the type of proactive monitoring Oracle has touted for years in the form of its Enterprise Manager product. The secure gateway incorporates Enterprise Manager functionality, but the broader EM product still has an important role due to its sheer breadth of supported products, Abramson said.

Other aspects of the technology in Platinum Services were developed in-house by ACS, he said.

Oracle may not be charging customers for Platinum Services, but it is using the launch to also roll out a number of new premium service offerings.