Case study
The challenge
A software company faced a dilemma regarding its unlimited license agreement (ULA) with Oracle. The company had entered into the ULA years earlier, during a period of exponential growth, when the cost of the ULA had seemed manageable given the business’s continued expansion. However, more recently, the organization’s growth had stabilized, and the expense of the ULA had become unwieldy and was cutting into corporate profits.
The company had tried to terminate the ULA numerous times, both on its own and with the support of outside vendors. But the company found it difficult to perform a certification, which is required to exit a ULA. As a result, they had to renew the ULA, requiring them to continue to pay to maintain the ULA.
It was after this last failure to end the ULA and subsequent renewal that the company reached out to Palisade Compliance for assistance.
Our solution for a ULA escape
The continuance of the ULA was costing the company new license fees annually, even though the company no longer was growing in a way that made the unlimited licenses necessary. Upon partnering with Palisade Compliance, the company immediately embarked upon the certification process that would ultimately lead to terminating the ULA.
To do this, Palisade Compliance provided guidance to help the company determine what Oracle products were installed, how they were counted and how to get through the certification process. We also helped the company wade through the morass of Oracle policies, contract terms, and documentation to understand what was actually necessary for the certification. Through this discovery process, the company gained an understanding and the necessary clarity to finally pinpoint and tally up its licenses accurately. Palisade Compliance enabled it to certify far more effectively and efficiently than the prior failed attempts. As a result, the company was able to fully certify and end its ULA with Oracle.
The benefits from the relationship between us and the client did not end there. We also provided guidance to help the company optimize its Oracle environment. Together, we developed a strategy to optimize existing licenses to achieve cost avoidance. Essentially, with Palisade Compliance’s help, the company determined the minimum number of Oracle licenses needed to support the growth of the business. With this strategy, the company deployed the licenses where they were most needed across its network.
The partnership with Palisade Compliance led to substantial cost savings through the end of the ULA.
Client benefits of our partnership
The partnership with Palisade Compliance led to substantial cost savings through the end of the ULA and through the optimization plan, which resulted in cost avoidance.
The company has continued the partnership, with our SAS Plus Service helping to ensure the continued compliance of their Oracle licenses. We act as a cooperative analyst to ensure compliance with internal standards around “Oracle deployments”. When questions arise, we help to answer them so the client can address any open issues quickly. Additionally, any time the company has questions, they can come to us and get answers. This is vitally important because of complexities with licensing Oracle software. The result is that the company has a much stronger awareness and understanding of its licenses, usage rights and entitlements, as well as a dramatically cheaper Oracle footprint.