BSkyB Finds the Right Agent

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sky1 BSkyB’s Chief Technology Officer, Didier Lebrat, was preparing for a considerable software license negotiation with Oracle during spring 2008 and knew he needed the advice of a software licensing specialist.

Mr. Lebrat turned to Commerce Planner, Ltd., the IT Software Licensing specialist, knowing that Commerce Planner had the skills and deep experience to (1) analyse BSkyB’s environment across its multiple divisions; (2) interpret Oracle’s industry leading licensing policies in BSkyB’s best interests; and (3) provide recommendations that would lower costs and yield optimal asset management. In addition, Mr. Lebrat needed flexibility to evolve his Oracle environment as BSkyB’s business changed, with the flexibility of negotiating with Oracle only once.

Working together with BSkyB and Oracle’s UK account team, Commerce Planner conducted an intensive analysis over several weeks. Commerce Planner documented all aspects of BSkyB’s Oracle software licence environment including deployment, license ownership and BSkyB’s strategic plan. Then, working with Commerce Planner, BSkyB was able to negotiate a win-win licencing agreement with Oracle, and provided Mr. Lebrat with a forward looking plan, aligning both his current and future licencing needs. Commerce Planner also provided the strategic recommendations that enhanced BSkyB’s overall cost of Oracle software licencing ownership.

Mr. Lebrat commented on teaming with Commerce Planner: “Preparing to enter into a very large software negotiation with Oracle is a significant undertaking. You have to be fully prepared and be sure you’ve explored all the angles. And having teamed with Commerce Planner, I was able to conduct negotiations with the confidence of a highly informed buyer, and having that peace of mind was key to striking the best agreement with Oracle.”

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Commerce Planner, Ltd. (www.commerceplanner.com) specialises in helping clients to negotiate Oracle software licensing and consulting contracts, and to renegotiate existing ones, helping to significantly lower the cost of IT ownership for its 50+ clients located primarily throughout Europe as well as globally. Founded in August 2005, Commerce Planner is privately held.

Commerce Planner