Expert Database Advice
Oracle Licence Review & Optimisation
Evaluate non-compliance with a comprehensive Oracle licence review
Our experts help to identify licence compliance issues in your Oracle estate
Oracle Database is a highly flexible performance platform for medium and enterprise level organisations. However, if it is not closely managed, Oracle licence compliance can quickly become a major risk factor. That’s why an Oracle licence review from Xynomix can help to identify potential issues to ensure ongoing compliance.
Worried about or expecting an Oracle audit request?
We leverage expertise and our existing partnership to alleviate your concerns
If you have been contacted by Oracle Licence Management Services (LMS) or Global Licensing & Advisory Services (GLAS) and have not recently conducted a review of your estate’s oracle licensing, then it’s essential to take action. Consulting with an independent expert, such as Xynomix can assist in establishing any potential risk of non-compliance to recommend swift remedial actions.
In the event that your audit is imminent, Xynomix can provide you with enhanced support and guidance. As an Oracle Partner, we can even negotiate with the LMS/GLAS teams on your behalf, using our expert knowledge and strong existing relationship with the vendor to achieve the best outcome possible.
Key Oracle licence risk factors
Oracle licence compliance can change when infrastructure grows with business needs
Over time, business needs inevitably change and the impressive flexibility of Oracle database architecture allows you to meet those needs as soon as they arise.
However, organisations can easily find themselves at risk of accidental non-compliance with Oracle licensing rules due to a large range of factors, with fines in excess of hundreds of thousands of pounds and – in many cases – even millions.
Keeping abreast of licensing metrics that may have changed from initial purchase, reducing licence sprawl, ensuring correct support fees, optimising for the cloud, and utilising your licences whilst remaining compliant, is a complex area of risk.
The added licence complication of deploying Oracle on VMware
Virtualisation with Oracle databases presents an altogether different challenge. As a result, organisations that deploy VMware are at particular risk of hefty non-compliance bills. This is due to the complexities associated with virtual machines and how Oracle views them.
Xynomix provides clear and concise information on your Oracle licensing, your exposure to risk, and – as an extension of your business team – we function as the essential interface between Oracle and yourselves, should the need to resolve any licensing negotiations arise.
Oracle licence FAQs
Are Oracle Licence Audits requested at random?
Not entirely, no. There are a whole host of triggers for an Oracle Licence Audit, including the length of time since your previous hardware refresh and any previous cases of non-compliance.
What are the most common areas of non-compliance?
Accidentally Enabling Enterprise Edition Features.
Oracle databases often come with Enterprise Edition options and packs pre-installed. This can lead to confusion for Oracle users on both Standard and Enterprise Edition.
Any accidental usage of Enterprise Edition features, including, but not limited to: Active Data Guard, Real Application Clustering (previously available on Standard Edition), or Oracle Diagnostics Pack, is recorded in a view called DBA_FEATURE_USAGE_STATISTICS.
This view, accessible by both your organisation and Oracle, actively monitors your license usage, so if any Enterprise Edition features are inadvertently activated, Oracle will bring this up (including accidental or historical usage) at your next audit.
Whilst Enterprise Edition features are automatically installed as standard, they can be deactivated to avoid users accidentally activating Enterprise options, features, or packs. To help you remain compliant, we’ve outlined the most common Oracle licencing pitfalls and, crucially, how to avoid them.
Can Oracle compel me to cooperate?
Yes. Oracle owns the intellectual property rights to the software you use. Therefore, Oracle has a legal right to audit its customers, ensure that their licencing is in line with agreements made.
How long do I have to respond to an Oracle Licence Audit letter?
The typical time is 45 days, as per Oracle’s standard agreement:
“Upon 45 days’ written notice, Oracle may audit your use of the software programs.”
There are variations, depending on your territory or specific agreements however, so it’s best to check your agreement with Oracle.
What if I have an ASFU Licence?
An Application Specific Full Use (ASFU) Licence is agreed with the application vendor – not Oracle.
This means that Oracle Licence Management Services (LMS) or Oracle Global Licence Advisory Service (GLAS) have no audit right to make you comply with an audit for ASFU licences. This can only be achieved by going via the partner that sold the licences, as they are responsible for ensuring compliance with Oracle.
Are there any differences between an Oracle Licence Review and Licence Audit?
An Oracle Licence Review – also known as an estate review – is the service offered by Xynomix in which we compare your licensing agreement against your hardware configuration, CSI numbers, and Org Reports.
An Oracle Licence Audit is the process of Oracle verifying the integrity of your licencing. Confusingly, LMS and GLAS sometimes refer to this informally as a licence review.
Can I respond to the audit on my own?
Absolutely. You have every right to respond to an Oracle Licence Audit request as you see fit. However, unless you possess a vast amount of Oracle licencing experience, it’s prudent to discuss this process with a trusted, independent database consultancy provider.
Does an Oracle Licence Review guarantee compliance?
Only Oracle Licence Management Services (LMS) or Global Licencing Advisory Services (GLAS) can officially declare an organisation compliant.
However, an Oracle Licence Review performed by Xynomix is conducted in line with criteria used by Oracle and is therefore a highly reliable perspective.
Can I Use Real Application Clustering (RAC) with Oracle Standard Edition (SE2)?
As of Oracle 19c, RAC is no longer available on SE2 (Standard Edition). Ordinarily, you will be required to upgrade to Enterprise Edition.
There are alternatives, however.
These include third party options such as Dbvisit Standby, SEHA (Standard Edition High Availability), and more covered in our 7 Options for Migrating Oracle SE2 & RAC to 19c guide.
How our Oracle licence review works
Only Oracle can pronounce the result of an audit. However, our Oracle Licence Review service mirrors the specific doctrines of the Oracle audit process. This means we can deliver highly in-depth reporting of your overall database estate. The aims of our Oracle licence review are to discover, gather, and review Oracle software licensing information. We’ll then compare this against your hardware configuration, supported CSI (customer support identifier) numbers, and Oracle Org Reports. Our team looks specifically for known procured licences covering the following:
Protect your Oracle estate
Unpacking our Oracle licence review
Identifying and interpreting risks
Our bespoke Oracle licence review maps our findings against supported or purchased licences and collates usage of Oracle programs. As a result, this allows us to highlight any areas of concern or potential risk to your organisation. Thus, the results of these reports serve as informative guidance in the event that Oracle performs a licence audit.
There are also many cases where organisations are actually over-licensed. Our database experts can identify opportunities for licence optimisation and cost reductions, which can result in some very significant savings.
Learn how a unitary council benefited from an Oracle estate review
Xynomix performed an Oracle estate review to evaluate compliance of the databases of Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead unitary council. Having meticulously looked into their estate, there were several previously unidentified Oracle licence compliance issues. View our findings and how the client benefitted!
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