Oracle Doubles Capacity to Perform Licence Audits

Oracle Scales up the Licence Management Services Team

Nobody welcomes a software audit by a vendor, with many managers dreading an Oracle audit in particular.   In addition to the risk of being presented with a large bill for unpaid licences, there is the time and cost of conducting the audit itself.
However Oracle has reacted to the recent downturn in new licence revenues by tying to drive revenue out of the installed base. The primary means of revenue generation is a new focus on software licence compliance.

In recent months in the UK Oracle have significantly increased the Licence Management Services Team which will enable them to more than double the number of licence audits performed each year.

The challenges presented by Oracle licencing

Oracle encourages the proliferation of its software by facilitating free download and installation, without licence keys, or other controls. And, until the volume of licences tallies with the volume of software downloaded, Oracle will continue to aggressively pursue licence audits. 
Added to this Oracle’s licencing rules are complicated, exposing companies to the risk of a large, but unexpected bill for unpaid software licences and penalties.  

The likelihood of under- or over-paying

Even in tightly controlled environments, Oracle software licencing can slip out of control.  That is because relatively routine actions can have hidden cost and compliance implications, for example:

  • Increasing the number of front end application users can unwittingly increase in licencing requirements.  Once more, it is the number of people with access, rather than the number of simultaneous users allowed that matters.
  • Changing the configuration of the server on which the software is run can unwittingly increase licence costs, with different type of server processors carrying different licence requirements.  In this respect it is important to remember that licences are based on the number of virtual, as well as real servers. 

The reality is that your company is as likely to be over-paying Oracle, as under-paying.  Indeed, our experience suggests that it is only a minority of companies that have optimized, or fully reconciled, their oracle licencing.
Concerned about an audit?

So, with oracle licence audits on the rise, it is little wonder that those responsible for licencing and others aspect of software asset management are uneasy.  Motivated by this unease, an increasing number of managers have taken the initiative to actively manage their licencing.
Commerce Planner Oracle Licence Office management services helps managers understand what Oracle Software is installed and in use, ensuring compliance, tackling over-licencing, and reducing unnecessary support charges.
 
On average businesses are paying 30% more than they should be based on their actual requirements. Unfortunately these same businesses are often under licenced and at risk of server financial penalties if they are subject to an Oracle software licence audit.

Commerce Planner Oracle Licence Office

Many businesses have chosen to address this problem by utilising the Commerce Planner Licence Office approach to Oracle software licence management. The Oracle Licence Office offers companies the opportunity to outsource the management of their Oracle software licence portfolio.

The Commerce Planner offering includes:

  • A detailed independent audit of existing Oracle software licences and usage
  • A review of current and planned future licencing requirements with company management
  • A detailed planning processes to ensure compliance and maximize the value from existing licences
  • An On-Going Licence Management Office through which all future Oracle Licence requirements are managed

The Commerce Planner Oracle Licence Management Office delivers the following benefits:

  • Access to specialist Oracle Licence management domain expertise at a fraction of the cost of developing it in-house or buying it in.
  • An on-going software licence management business process ensuring licence compliance and the lowest possible cost of Oracle software licence ownership across the enterprise.

Commerce Planner Publishes White Paper on Improved Oracle Software Asset Management Practices

White Paper Discusses Oracle’s Licensing Practices, Methods for Cost Efficiencies & Mitigating Risks

London, January 5th, 2011 — The Improving Oracle Software Asset Management Practices white paper by Commerce Planner, Ltd. is now available to help CIOs, IT asset managers and other IT executives to understand and oversee their Oracle investment.

Commerce Planner is Europe’s leading Oracle and Microsoft licensing consultancy. Commerce Planner’s new white paper provides essential information and best practices for managing Oracle assets, including:

  • Understanding Oracle’s core licensing models
  • Tips for effectively managing Oracle assets
  • The discovery process: automated software asset management (SAM) solution
  • Tactics for successfully negotiating with Oracle based on SAM best practices

 

“Knowing what you have licensed and what you are actually need is the key to efficient Oracle software license management,” said Tom Barnard, Principle, Commerce Planner. “If you understand what software you have, where it resides and how it’s being used, you’ll be able to negotiate contracts and procurements from a position of strength. Companies should look at their enterprise software as an investment. And, like any other investment, it needs to be actively managed.”

Commerce Planner helps companies analyze and negotiate enterprise software contracts, specifically Oracle and Microsoft licensing. The company also assures licensing compliance through its ongoing software asset management program. Clients include Thomson Reuters, Lehman Brothers, and many other mid-size organizations and FT 250 companies.

About Commerce Planner Limited.

Commerce Planner has provided advisory services to Oracle and Microsoft clients needing assistance in managing the fundamental changes in their software licensing assets. This highly successful consulting practice has helped 50+ clients throughout Europe to optimize their total cost of ownership. A privately held award-winning company based in London, Commerce Planner has overseen over $200 million in Oracle and Microsoft transactions