Nobody welcomes a software audit by a vendor, with many managers dreading an Oracle audit in particular.   In addition to the risk of being presented with a large bill for unpaid licences, there is the time and cost of conducting the audit itself.

The challenges presented by Oracle licensing

Oracle encourages the proliferation of its software by facilitating free download and installation, without license keys, or other controls. And, until the volume of licenses tallies with the volume of software downloaded, Oracle will continue to aggressively pursue license audits. 

Added to this Oracle’s licensing rules are complicated, exposing companies to the risk of a large, but unexpected bill for unpaid software licenses and penalties.  

The likelihood of under- or over-paying

Even in tightly controlled environments, Oracle software licensing can slip out of control.  That is because relatively routine actions can have hidden cost and compliance implications, for example:

- Increasing the number of front end application users can unwittingly increase in licensing requirements.  Once more, it is the number of people with access, rather than the number of simultaneous users allowed that matters.

- Changing the configuration of the server on which the software is run can unwittingly increase license costs, with different type of server processors carrying different license requirements.  In this respect it is important to remember that licenses are based on the number of virtual, as well as real servers. 

The reality is that your company is as likely to be over-paying Oracle, as under-paying.  Indeed, our experience suggests that it is only a minority of companies that have optimized, or fully reconciled, their oracle licensing.

Concerned about an audit?

So, with oracle license audits on the rise, it is little wonder that those responsible for licensing and others aspect of software asset management are uneasy.  Motivated by this unease, an increasing number of managers have taken the initiative to reconcile and optimise licensing.

iQuate’s IT audit, monitoring and inventory suite helps managers understand what Oracle Software is installed and in use, ensuring compliance, tackling over-licensing, and reducing unnecessary support charges.  

Furthermore, or tools minimize the cost, risk and disruption of an Oracle software audit, that otherwise could last for months.  It assists companies automate the accurate completion of an OSW or Oracle Server Worksheet (the form Oracle give to auditees to complete).

Typically, our clients have saved 6 figure sums in terms of annual Oracle license costs, and millions against  initial  assessments of underlicensed Oracle sofware.