For quite some time, Oracle has been under fire from customers about its pricing and licensing.  The company, it seemed, was more interested in auditing a rogue company than being upfront with its pricing.

Back Then…

In 2012, ComputerWeekly reported that vague and complicated pricing and licensing rules set forth by Oracle was bad news to companies.  According to the report, businesses pay millions because they did not understand Oracle’s licensing rules.  For example, one company the article cited had licensing compliance issues amounting $14.8 million, and Oracle was geared to audit it.

The Software Investment Guide, which was in effect by then, was difficult to understand.  A lot of businesses complained that they were not aware of the right licensing policies to look at and to comply with.  What makes matters worse is that the contract is equally complex and hard to understand.  The ComputerWeekly article wrote that this vagueness is easily seen in virtualized environments, were it is easy to get slapped with at least $4.6 million in non-compliance penalties.

That was in June 2012.  The good news is that the software giant has listened to its customers, resellers and even virtualization providers by coming up with a new and simplified Software Investment Guide.

The Latest Version of SIG

The latest version of the company’s licensing guide hopes to make its pricing policies even more transparent and easier to understand.  Customers, the company hopes, would find the document simple and flexible.  The company says it hopes that the new guide would help its customers understand its licensing policies better in order for them to be able to better manage their IT costs and to make more informed decisions.

The new software investment guide is much more comprehensive and includes illustrations and examples that would make it easier for people to understand the company’s pricing structure.

The guide starts with instructions on how to use the guide and provides you with a list of questions you should ask yourself before buying.

It then gives you an overview of Oracle’s licensing process, including explaining the Software License Agreement, the rights granted in the SLA, the difference between term and perpetual licensing, the minimum and the mode of software delivery.

The Guide also gives you a brief description of all product categories that Oracle has to offer, along with licensing metrics and policies.  In this part of the Guide, there are also illustrations that would help you understand different IT situations along with what software you need and the number of licenses you need to buy.

It also touches on applications, Oracle on Demands, partners and services, as well as how to get more out of your Oracle software investments.

Let Four Cornerstone Help You with SIG

The new guide should be easy enough to understand and it includes everything you need to know about Oracle software and licensing rules.  However, you may find it quite lengthy and that it contains too much information in the document.

Four Cornerstone can help you sort through your Oracle licensing issues and make sure you never have to worry about an Oracle audit coming your way.  We are a value-added Oracle reseller with experts who could advise you on licensing your Oracle software. Call us today and save on licensing costs!

Photo courtesy of Pete Prodoehl.