Case study
What was the challenge?
Boasting a team of about 300 software developers, the healthcare industry’s most comprehensive provider of cost management solutions prides itself on its development capabilities. About 90% of the software that runs the business is built in-house on either a Java Oracle platform or a .NET platform, and about 80% of the revenue comes through – or is generated on – Oracle.
When it came time to certify its Oracle database ULA, the company was confident it could go it alone. However, they quickly discovered how much they didn’t know about Oracle licensing.
Products running sparingly increased the number of cores for which the company was liable, and the platform’s configuration significantly reduced their entitlements.
Having learned its lesson the hard way, the healthcare provider turned to Palisade Compliance for help certifying Fusion Middleware and GoldenGate ULAs.
The solution for database ULA optimization
Palisade Compliance served as the company’s advisor, managing the Fusion and GoldenGate ULA certification process and guiding them along the way. We assessed the company’s architecture to identify what entitlements it was using.
During the certification process, Oracle used its knowledge of the company’s architecture and existing database ULA to suggest that it was in danger of being out of compliance. We validated that the company was complying with the ULA and made recommendations on how the client could reconfigure their systems to lower the number of entitlements it needed, thereby reducing the risk of noncompliance. In some cases, this was as easy as migrating an application to a different set of servers.
The company successfully certified its database ULA, and is better utilizing and managing its Oracle footprint.
Benefits for the client of our involvement
The company successfully certified at around 1800 cores.
The value of working with us extended beyond the certification process. The healthcare company now understands how Oracle licensing works and what Oracle is entitled to measure. The company uses this insight to drive additional governance around its internal procurement processes. Previously, developers were granted virtually any request. Now, proper governance controls ensure the organization sticks to its fixed inventory of licenses. As a result, the company is better utilizing and managing its Oracle footprint.