The challenge
A medium-sized North American IT service provider in the retail space had used Oracle’s database and data integration products to support its system of custom applications. With about 30 properly licensed Oracle database instances in its portfolio, the company thought it was in a solid position of compliance. They were shocked to receive an audit notice from Oracle.
Because of the audit notification, the company began to study in greater depth how Oracle interpreted its licensing agreements. After conferring with internal experts and those with Oracle licensing experience at similar organizations, the business realized that their use of virtualization technology had the potential to put them in a more complicated proof of compliance situation than they had initially thought. Even though the retail company was confident it was compliant, leadership became uncomfortable about moving forward unassisted through the virtualization audit process because of the complexity of Oracle’s virtualization licensing.
Given their level of uncertainty about licensing, the company began to search for an external partner to guide them through the virtualization audit process. Based on recommendations and online searches, the company found Palisade Compliance and decided we would be the best organization to aid them during the audit.
Our solution
After contracting with us, the company established initial goals for our partnership. These goals included reducing the risk that Oracle would find the company to be out of compliance. The company also wanted us to provide guidance on the audit and compliance process, improve their understanding of it, and lead communications with Oracle.
The company found its relationship with us to be truly valuable. We offered insights on the best way to communicate with Oracle and how to time these interactions to maximize their effectiveness. Because we have extensive Oracle licensing experience, we were able to connect the business with the most knowledgeable and helpful individuals at Oracle to ensure the audit process progressed smoothly. This was especially important because Oracle was not as responsive as the company would have liked and asked for immense amounts of information that did not necessarily seem relevant to the audit.
Working with us gave the company confidence to question and probe Oracle throughout the process instead of just accepting Oracle’s demands. The business felt confident enough to respond to Oracle on their own time schedule and on their own terms. They realized they were not contractually obligated to respond within given timeframes. They also ensured they got everything in writing from Oracle so there were as few surprises as possible. We were able to offer guidance on every piece of communication between our client and Oracle.
Working with Palisade Compliance gave our client the confidence to question and probe Oracle throughout the virtualization audit process, instead of just accepting their demands.
Virtualization audit outcome summary
Contracting with us left the retailer with a great deal more confidence than they had when they started the virtualization audit process. They avoided responding emotionally to Oracle’s demands and asserted greater leverage in the negotiations than they would have otherwise been able to.
The company felt it could apply what was learned during the audit process to their relationships with other large technology vendors in the future – an empowering outcome. Ultimately, the company resolved the audit and, with our help, was able to prove to Oracle that they were in compliance. By gaining understanding of Oracle’s perspective, they were better able to anticipate how they should respond to all elements of the auditing process.
Are you feeling out of your depth with an Oracle virtualization audit – unsure how to respond to Oracle’s demands?