Expert Database Advice
Xynomix performed an Oracle estate review to evaluate compliance of the databases of a large unitary council
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a unitary council in Berkshire, England. As their provider of Oracle database support, Xynomix recommend it prudent to conduct a full review of their database environment.
Client
The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
Industry
Services
Technologies
Oracle Database
Background
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council is a large unitary body in Berkshire, England. The authority first started working with Xynomix back in 2017, for the provision of a database managed service.
At the time, they had a requirement to partner with a specialist Oracle database support and consultancy business. Having then been in partnership for a year, the council heeded Xynomix’s advice to conduct an Oracle Estate Review.
Objective
The database estate review was aimed at observing the council’s usage of Oracle databases and Oracle middleware. This evaluation would include the usage of any management packs as the council is an Enterprise Edition user of Oracle Database.
The core purpose of any such review, is to evaluate compliance from an audit perspective. An added advantage, is that estate reviews often bring up the chance to reduce client costs. As dependent on the findings, many users are able to consolidate and reduce overall spend. This is because any unused Oracle products become identified, and certain licences can be consolidated.
Getting Started
The project started with an initial call to gather all relevant information from the client, including licence grants and any special dispensations the council held. Xynomix then produced a detailed report from this information, and held further calls to fully understand the Oracle estate.
At each step of the way, Xynomix was mindful to advise possible ways to save money. Cost-saving opportunities were key to exploit, as there were certain Oracle products the Council were paying for without utilising.
The Challenge
In 2018, Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead unitary council were approached by Oracle LMS (License Management Services).
This team functions to conduct official audits of Oracle database licencing to verify compliance across database estates. At this point, the council felt it prudent to engage Xynomix to assist with representation for interactions with the Oracle LMS team.
As independent database consultants, we were able to offer Oracle licence advice that proved invaluable. The outcome was that our client was able to navigate a difficult and challenging process; quickly and effectively.
Time Saving Collaboration
Xynomix worked tirelessly with the internal teams at both Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, as well as Oracle LMS. The results of this collaboration, meant we were able to assist in navigating the council through this complex process.
As expected, it took a number of months to complete, but without our expertise it’d have taken much longer for the council to complete on their own.
Deliverables
- Explained the general LMS process
- Attended initial calls with LMS and us to ascertain the scope and timescales
- Provided assistance to gather all the data required by LMS
- Interpret and understand license grant
- Detailed analysis of LMS scripts ran by Oracle
- Liaising with ISV’s to gain Application Specific Full Use (ASFU) License confirmation
- Advice on management packs and unused products
- Assisted in negotiations and clarification calls with Oracle
- Detailed analysis of Oracle estate usage and non usage
”Xynomix were very knowledgeable. They have a skilled commercial team and experienced technical consultants. Their unique advantage is that both teams understand the complexities and nuances of the Oracle database licencing model extremely well.
Xynomix gave us confidence that they would ensure we were compliant as an authority. While the process was long, they helped us shorten it greatly. Ultimately, they gave us a well documented understanding of our database licences and compliance across our Oracle estate.
The guidance and advice they have provided as our support partner for Oracle, not only allowed us to be compliant, but also reduced support costs through optimisation.
IT ManagerRoyal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Council
Conclusion
The outcome for Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead was a greatly reduced risk of non-compliance. The confidence of the licencing status in their estate, put them in a strong position for their negotiations with the Oracle LMS team. A big factor in this was our ability to identify the usage of one database, which was covered by an ASFU licence. This instance meant the council were fully compliant, which would not have been realised without our expert database consultancy.
Need an Oracle Estate Review?
Your organisation may be at greater risk of an Oracle LMS audit if any of the following apply:
- Lack of internal expertise
- Absence of database specific support
- Mixed or old metrics
- Hardware refresh
- Business growth or changes in structure
- Mergers and acquisitions
We can provide an Oracle Estate Review and LMS Audit Readiness Services. If you would like to know more about how we can help, please get in touch.
