Executive Summary
Not long after completing a corporate merger, a returning LicenseFortress customer in the energy sector was hit with a high-stakes Oracle audit. The company had previously worked with LicenseFortress to certify a capped ULA and subsequent audit—securing $14.75 million in savings—but post-merger complexities introduced new risk. Within months, Oracle issued an audit claim totaling more than $6.3 million. The Lead Technical Procurement Specialist and Director of Technology Services Supplier Management re-engaged LicenseFortress for Oracle Audit Defense. Backed by legal expertise, contract interpretation, and deep technical analysis, LicenseFortress reduced the enforceable gap to just over $1 million. The $125,000 engagement delivered more than $5.2 million in savings and a 4,200% return on investment.
$125K
Project Cost
$5.2M
Savings
4,200%
ROI
At a Glance
Challenges
Oracle Audit Risks After a Corporate Merger
The energy provider was undergoing an Oracle audit shortly after completing a major merger. Mergers and acquisitions often trigger vendor scrutiny, and this case was no exception. The integration of multiple environments, legacy systems, and historical entitlements created blind spots and inconsistencies that Oracle was quick to exploit.
During the audit, Oracle flagged several licensing issues—most notably, the unintentional use of Advanced Compression, which had been triggered by routine Data Pump exports, and Active Data Guard, which had been configured in read-only mode during redo apply. Both features introduced substantial exposure.
Oracle also challenged the company’s use of CPU-constrained Azure instances, arguing that licensing should apply to all theoretical vCPUs instead of the provisioned cores in use. The cumulative effect of these claims pushed the audit position above $6.3 million—placing the procurement and infrastructure teams in a difficult position and demanding a rapid, defensible response.
Solution
Defending Against Oracle License Audit Claims Across Hybrid Environments
Having already experienced LicenseFortress’s results-driven approach during a previous engagement, the company brought them back in for Oracle Audit Defense. LicenseFortress deployed ArxAware®, its proprietary SAM platform, to conduct a thorough analysis of the customer’s Oracle deployments across hybrid infrastructure, including public cloud and on-premise systems.
Because government regulations restricted access to certain environments, the team delivered tailored guidance for secure manual data collection to ensure full visibility. At the same time, LicenseFortress collaborated with legal experts at Beeman & Muchmore to review all entitlements, purchase orders, and Oracle agreements—building the audit defense on enforceable contract terms rather than vendor policy.
The team developed a complete Effective License Position (ELP), advised on remediation steps to eliminate accidental feature usage, and crafted a contract-backed counterargument to Oracle’s vCPU claims in the cloud. Every finding was supported by legal language and technical proof, creating a comprehensive defense.
Results
Oracle Audit Cost Reduced by Over $5M with Expert Licensing Defense
LicenseFortress reduced Oracle’s $6.3 million audit claim to a contractual gap of just $1,094,340. By identifying and correcting the unintentional use of Advanced Compression and Active Data Guard, and successfully pushing back against Oracle’s cloud licensing assumptions, the team eliminated over $5.2 million in proposed costs.
The $125,000 engagement yielded a return on investment of 4,200%. More importantly, the customer emerged from the audit with clarity, compliance, and renewed confidence in their licensing posture. Following this successful defense, the organization is now exploring LicenseFortress’s SAM Managed Services to ensure continuous visibility and future audit readiness.
Going Through a Merger or Acquisition? Oracle’s Watching.
M&A activity often triggers aggressive audits and costly licensing surprises. LicenseFortress helps you uncover hidden risks, defend against inflated claims, and protect your bottom line. Don’t wait until Oracle knocks—get ahead of compliance before the audit starts.
Talk to us about protecting your next move.