The whole world is moving to the cloud.
These days, it seems like everyone is moving all or part of their IT infrastructure to the cloud. And the truth is, they are. As an organization, there’s really no way to avoid it, and everyone’s looking for a success story. But most organizations assume that jumping into the cloud will simplify licensing. Sadly, that’s not usually the case. The cloud isn’t a magic “fix” for the maze companies face when dealing with software licensing – especially if you’re dealing with Oracle.
As the Oracle cloud migration expert from our
global advisory team says “Don’t assume licensing complexity is gone when you start porting oracle workflows to the public cloud.”
Vulnerabilities still exist, and it’s important to be aware of them before making a move or entering a negotiation. Ultimately, being aware and educated is your best defence. Understanding your Oracle contract (as opaque as it may be) is vital. It determines the terms under which you can use the software and what it will take to move that usage to the cloud.
The 3 pillars of Oracle cloud migration complexity
When it comes to your move to the cloud, whether it’s Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud or something else, there’s no question it’s complex. To succeed, you must understand these 3 things:
1. How many licensable software titles do you have?
With Oracle cloud migration, you must be able to identify how many software titles you have that are licensed. This is a challenge because they’re usually based on the honour system. If this is the case, it means no license keys. So how do you calculate how many you have? It’s tough. On top of whether or not you have license keys, the landscape is always changing around things like hardware and storage. As a result, licensing calculations can vary wildly.
2. Will you bring your own license (BYOL)?
If your organization has on-premise licenses, for example 10 processors of the database, you own them. If you want to move that database into the cloud, you have to bring your own license(s) into the cloud as well. And yes, you guessed it, it’s not always easy. It’s certainly possible, but it’s a completely different calculation than buying licenses as you move into the cloud. If this is your scenario, you’ll need to do a license impact assessment BEFORE moving on premise to the cloud. But it’s vital to do the calculations correctly, otherwise, you could face big fines for non-compliance. After all, Oracle is known for strict penalties for violations. It’s one of their scare tactics to get companies to spend on the cloud.
3. Do your terms and conditions consider the cloud?
Last but certainly not least are the terms of your contract. Depending on how old your contract is, the terms might not necessarily encompass all the requirements for the cloud today. And don’t count on Oracle to serve up the information you need. Their salespeople aren’t licensing experts, and won’t give advice that’s in your best interest.
Oracle licensing is confusing – in or out of the cloud.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to Oracle cloud migration, work with someone who understands the intricacies and can objectively give you information that’s in your best interest. Remember, Oracle’s primary goal is to sell you more stuff, which is in their best interest.
Make your next move to bring in Dark Horse
If you’re considering an Oracle cloud migration, give us a call. We’ll review your situation (at no cost) and help you understand your best way forward.
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