Oracle’s Q4 finished on May 31st. How did you and your company come out of it? Unscathed? Beat Up? Tired of talking to Oracle? Or for some of you, are the conversations still dragging on? The one thing that will never change about Oracle, is that they are relentless in their sales strategies. They will try and try and try again to make a sale with you, no matter how many times you may have said “not interested”. So, what does NOT buying anything from Oracle often times make you …….. an AUDIT TARGET!
When we talk to our clients about Oracle’s auditing strategies, top of the list targets are clients who have not bought anything from Oracle for several years. Or clients who had large potentials deals on the table with Oracle and then walked away. Unfortunately, these clients can be audited as quickly as a few months later. LMS stands for Oracle License Management Services (LMS). This is Oracle’s auditing arm of the company, who often times work hand in hand with sales.
So, who are top candidates for an Oracle LMS audit?
Companies who have not purchased Oracle products or services for several years
Companies who never purchased after having large pending deals with Oracle
Companies who have undergone major entity changes, such as mergers or acquisitions
Companies who don’t have a clear understanding of their Oracle footprint or Oracle licensing
Companies whose Oracle licenses are not in a logical order can be a red flag for Oracle sales
These are some examples of Oracle audit targets, however there are many more reasons clients can be audited. Do you fall into any of these categories above? Are you afraid an Oracle audit may be coming down the line? If so, get ahead of an Oracle audit. Spend the time and invest the resources to ensure your own compliance before Oracle does it for you, along with a million-dollar price tag!
At Olitech, we have performed hundreds of Oracle License Reviews and internal audit exercises for our clients to identify and mitigate risks and find savings in current Oracle investments. We also provide audit defense and support, for clients in the middle of an active audit with Oracle. Our clients often end up paying Oracle 10-20% of what they would have paid had they gone it alone. Contact us today if you want to get in front of an Oracle audit or if you are in the middle of an active audit and need help with your Oracle strategy.
By Melissa Cortale
Melissa Cortale is founder and President of Olitech Solutions, LLC. Melissa has worked with Oracle licensing, both for Oracle and on the client side, for over 10 years where she has negotiated more than 300 transactions. Melissa has shared her Oracle expertise at multiple SAM conferences and has has taught IBSMA’s Practitioner’s Certificate in Oracle License Management (PCOLM) course across the US and abroad.