Not All Advice is Created Equal: What to look for in a consultancy
By Lena J. Weiner Does anyone else remember a very-odd-but-very-popular 1999 hit called Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen? Presented as a meandering, advice-filled monologue for that year’s graduating class, the only advice the speaker in the song is absolutely certain about is that everyone should wear sunscreen, but suggests further hints for living he would like to offer the young […]
The Empire Strikes Back: Oracle’s Increasingly Aggressive Audits, Explained
A long time ago (ok, before the infamous Google suit was determined), in a galaxy far, far, far away (except not really that far), Oracle – while never exactly a loveable entity and always prone to auditing and assessing clients – could, upon occasion, be flexible. If, for example, an Oracle client operated in the […]
Click-through Caution: Why You Need to Read the Small Print
Let’s face it; most of us don’t read the fine print. And sometimes, that can have consequences. These consequences can range from the seemingly harmless (a nosy neighbor or coworker being suggested as a new Facebook friend or Instagram follow to you after entering their contact information in your phone – since, after all, Instagram and […]
Avoiding Conflicts of Interest in Software Asset Management
It can be tempting to tell yourself that any consultant will do when selecting someone to help you manage your Oracle products or implementation plan, but that’s just not true. And one topic that goes unmentioned far too often is the importance of evaluating any potential consultant to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.
When Oracle told a 1000-employee cloud-based software provider after a routine audit that they owed $57 million, they brought in a consult which determined that they owed exactly the same figure Oracle said they did.
Oracle Overshares: Why keeping professional – not personable – is good policy
Sesame Street and organizations like the Salvation Army might tell you that sharing is caring, but there are people you shouldn’t open up to. Examples might include the local busybody who peers in her neighbors’ windows, your co-worker who just might be gunning for the same promotion as you, and, most importantly, your Oracle sales rep.
“The thing to remember is; they’re not your friend,” says Michael Corey, co-founder, and chief operating officer of LicenseFortress. Always remember, this is a business relationship – and no matter how much your Oracle rep might personally like you, they are inextricably linked to Oracle.
Oracle on Amazon RDS: licensee beware (Part 2)
It sounds like a great deal at first: spin up a fully-managed Oracle database instance with the license cost already baked in. And in a lot of ways, it can be a good deal. Take a look at the cost of managing the database, doing backups & patching, plus the hardware and software, and Oracle […]
Oracle on Amazon RDS: licensee beware (Part 1)
It sounds like a great deal at first: spin up a fully-managed Oracle database instance with the license cost already baked in. And in a lot of ways, it can be a good deal. Take a look at the expense of managing the database, doing backups & patching, plus the hardware and software, and Oracle on Amazon RDS can be a great deal. But as always, be careful about the details.
Why the Oracle Perpetual ULA is Insidious
Ok, we’ll admit it. We like to encourage a healthy skepticism of Oracle Unlimited Licensing Agreements (ULAs) here at LicenseFortress, but we’re completely willing to admit that there are scenarios where adopting a ULA makes great sense.
But, try as we might, we haven’t been able to identify a scenario for which adopting an Oracle Perpetual Unlimited Licensing Agreement (PULA) would be a good call.
In short, it’s a very expensive financing trick that might make anyone who cares only about the bottom line happy, but likely few others. We also don’t think it’s a stretch to say that a PULA is a bad investment.
Why You Should Plan for Oracle’s End-of-Fiscal-Year Now
You know that guy (or gal) that starts their Christmas shopping in July? I bet they’re sitting in a comfy chair right now, smugly sipping eggnog with their feet up on a table, without a care in the world. On the other hand, the rest of us are collectively grimacing at the numbers displayed in our bank accounts, worrying whether our friends and family will get the gifts we’re sending them in time, and racing to get them wrapped and under the tree (or handed off to the right people) before Christmas morning.
Like an HMO for Your Licenses: Why You Need Preventative Legal Services
Imagine, for a moment, that you could inoculate your organization against audits or negative legal entanglements regarding your Oracle agreements. And have regular checkups that help anticipate which snippets – both in code and in language – might give your legal and IT teams grief, allowing you to act proactively and prevent them from actually becoming a problem.
