Client Overview
Organisation
A Norwegian public-sector entity operating multiple Oracle Unlimited License Agreements (ULAs). The organisation's database infrastructure spanned on-premise deployments, Oracle-engineered systems, and virtualised platforms — creating a complex, multi-layered licensing landscape.
Oracle Estate
Multiple active Oracle ULAs covering database and middleware products. The diverse environment included physical servers, Oracle Exadata and Exalogic engineered systems, and VMware-based virtualisation — each with distinct licensing implications under Oracle's policies.
Key Concern
A potential non-compliance exposure of $12 million driven by the complexity of their database environment. The multifaceted nature of on-premise, engineered, and virtualised deployments made it extremely difficult to accurately understand their true licensing position without independent expert analysis.
Objective
Develop a comprehensive ULA strategy that would (1) eliminate the non-compliance risk, (2) determine whether to certify or renew the ULA, (3) maximise the value of existing deployments before certification, and (4) execute a clean, defensible certification process.
The Challenge
Oracle Unlimited License Agreements are among the most powerful — and most misunderstood — licensing instruments in enterprise software. A ULA grants unlimited deployment rights for specified Oracle products during a fixed term, but the certification process at end-of-term is where organisations either capture enormous value or expose themselves to significant risk.
This Scandinavian public entity faced a compounding set of challenges:
| Challenge | Detail | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-environment complexity | Oracle deployments spread across on-premise physical servers, engineered systems (Exadata), and VMware-virtualised infrastructure — each with different licensing counting rules | Inaccurate licence counts could inflate support costs or create compliance gaps |
| $12M non-compliance exposure | Internal analysis was unable to definitively confirm compliance across all environments. Oracle features and database options were potentially enabled without being covered under the ULA | Oracle could identify non-compliance during certification and use it as leverage to force a costly renewal |
| Multiple overlapping ULAs | Several ULAs with different product scopes, terms, and expiration dates — increasing the probability of miscounting or missing products | Products deployed under the wrong ULA, or outside any ULA scope entirely, would be unlicensed |
| Renewal pressure from Oracle | Oracle's sales team was positioning ULA renewal as the safest and simplest path — framing certification as complex and risky | Renewing without analysis meant paying millions for unlimited rights the entity may not have needed |
Public entities face heightened scrutiny on technology spend. A $12 million non-compliance finding — or an unnecessary multi-million-dollar ULA renewal — would be difficult to justify to oversight bodies. The stakes for getting the ULA certification right were both financial and reputational.
The Solution: A 7-Phase Approach
Redress Compliance was engaged to provide end-to-end Oracle ULA advisory services, covering the full lifecycle from initial assessment through to certification completion. The engagement followed a structured seven-phase methodology:
Oracle Licence Script Analysis
Redress deployed Oracle licence measurement scripts across the entity's entire database estate — on-premise, engineered systems, and virtualised environments. The scripts captured processor counts, database option usage, management pack activation, and product deployment data to establish an accurate baseline of the true licensing position.
Outcome: Clear, granular visibility into exactly what was deployed, where, and how it mapped to Oracle's licensing metrics — including Oracle's core factor tables and virtualisation policies.
Non-Compliance Identification and Remediation
The script analysis revealed specific areas of non-compliance — database options and features that were enabled but not covered under any of the entity's ULAs. Redress provided detailed remediation advice: which features to disable (those not genuinely required), which to retain (and budget for separately), and how to sequence changes to avoid operational disruption.
Outcome: The $12 million non-compliance risk was methodically reduced to zero through targeted remediation — without interrupting production systems or requiring emergency Oracle purchases.
Oracle ULA Strategy Development
With a clean compliance baseline established, Redress developed a comprehensive ULA strategy. This included a detailed cost-benefit analysis of certification versus renewal, modelling multiple scenarios: certifying now, certifying later, partial renewal, and full renewal. The analysis demonstrated that certifying the ULA and redesigning the licensing agreement would save $2 million compared to renewal.
Outcome: A clear, data-backed recommendation to certify rather than renew — with full financial modelling to support the decision through internal governance and approval processes.
Maximising Current ULA Value
Before certification, Redress identified opportunities to maximise the entity's deployment footprint within the ULA's unlimited rights. This is the critical — and often overlooked — step: ensuring that every legitimate Oracle deployment is captured and counted before the ULA expires, because any uncounted deployments become unlicensed after certification. Redress worked with the entity's IT teams to identify and include all qualifying deployments, including environments that were initially overlooked or miscategorised.
Outcome: The maximisation exercise secured an additional $20 million+ in certified licence value — licences that would have been lost had certification proceeded without this analysis.
ULA Certification Planning
Redress prepared a detailed certification plan covering timelines, data collection procedures, executive sign-off requirements, and Oracle communication protocols. The plan ensured the entity met all contractual obligations — including submission deadlines, certification letter format, and required authorisation levels — to prevent Oracle from contesting the certification.
Oracle ULA Documentation
Redress prepared all certification documentation: the formal certification letter, deployment inventories, processor calculations, product-by-product licence counts, and supporting evidence. Every number was defensible and auditable — critical for withstanding Oracle's post-certification scrutiny.
Communication Advisory and Oracle Management
Throughout the process, Redress provided communication advisory — guiding the entity on how to respond to Oracle's sales team, what information to share (and what to withhold), and how to manage Oracle's inevitable attempts to push for renewal. This ensured the entity maintained control of the process and didn't inadvertently create leverage for Oracle.
Oracle's data shows that 98% of ULA certifications find a non-compliance issue when Oracle conducts the counting. That statistic isn't coincidental — it's by design. Oracle's License Management Services (LMS) team is incentivised to find gaps that can be used to pressure renewal. The most effective defence is to conduct your own independent analysis, remediate any issues, and present Oracle with a clean, defensible certification. That's exactly what we did here.
Outcomes
| Metric | Before Engagement | After Engagement |
|---|---|---|
| Non-compliance exposure | $12 million | $0 — fully remediated |
| ULA decision | Undecided; Oracle pushing for costly renewal | Data-backed decision to certify and exit |
| Renewal cost avoided | $2M+ renewal price quoted by Oracle | $0 — certification completed instead |
| Certified licence value | Unknown; incomplete deployment visibility | $20M+ in certified perpetual licences captured |
| Compliance status | At risk — unable to confirm position | Fully compliant; defensible documentation in place |
| Oracle communication | Reactive; Oracle controlling the narrative | Proactive; entity controlling the process and timeline |
"Redress Compliance's expertise and strategic approach have been instrumental in our Oracle ULA certification process. Their deep understanding of Oracle ULA, combined with their ability to tailor strategies to our unique needs, helped us easily navigate the certification process. They mitigated a substantial non-compliance risk and identified significant savings opportunities. Their unwavering support throughout the process was exceptional. I highly recommend their services to any organisation dealing with Oracle ULA."— Head of Vendor Management, Scandinavian Public Entity
Key Takeaways for CIOs and IT Leaders
This engagement illustrates several critical lessons for any organisation managing — or preparing to exit — an Oracle Unlimited License Agreement:
- Conduct independent analysis before engaging Oracle. Never allow Oracle's LMS team to be your first source of truth on compliance. Their incentive is to find gaps that justify renewal. Independent analysis gives you a clean, defensible position before Oracle sees any data.
- Remediate before you certify. Non-compliance issues that exist at the time of certification become permanent liabilities. Address them proactively — disable unused features, secure additional licences where genuinely needed, and document every remediation action.
- Maximise deployments before the ULA expires. The ULA grants unlimited deployment rights during its term. Every legitimate Oracle deployment counted at certification becomes a perpetual licence. Failing to capture all qualifying deployments means leaving licence value — potentially millions — on the table. See our guide to Oracle ULA certification strategies.
- Challenge Oracle's renewal pitch with data. Oracle's default position is to push for renewal. The only effective counter is a rigorous cost-benefit analysis that compares renewal cost against certification value. In this case, the data clearly showed that certification delivered far more value. Read about Oracle ULA renewal tactics.
- Control the communication with Oracle. What you share with Oracle, when you share it, and how you frame it materially affects the outcome. Oracle's sales and LMS teams will use any information you provide to advance their commercial objectives. Professional communication management is essential.
- Start preparation 6–12 months before ULA expiry. ULA certification is not a last-minute exercise. Thorough assessment, remediation, maximisation, and documentation require months of structured work. Organisations that start early consistently achieve better outcomes. For a comprehensive ULA exit methodology, see our Oracle ULA Exit Strategy guide.
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