Licensing

Oracle licensing services – What options are available

Oracle Licensing and Assessment Services

oracle licensing services

What are Oracle licensing and assessment services? This article will discuss Oracle licenses, why you may need them, and how to get them.

We’ll also discuss Oracle GLAS and assurance services. And we’ll explain what Oracle licenses mean for your organization.

To understand what Oracle licenses mean for your organization, start by evaluating your current level of compliance. For example, where and how are you using Oracle software in your organization?

What is an Oracle license?

  • When you purchase an Oracle license, you must choose how many processors you wish to use. The number of processor cores depends on how many users your system will have. A processor license usually equals one socket, and multi-core chips must be grouped before multiplying by the core processor licensing factor. You can consult Oracle’s Processor Core Factor Table for more information. You must use this factor to determine how many licenses you need for your server.
  • In addition to server-based licensing, you can also buy application-specific licenses. These licenses are sold in tandem with third-party application packages. For example, an Oracle application-specific license from SAP allows you to use Oracle with SAP systems. The license will pertain to metrics specific to that application, and you cannot use it for other purposes. Furthermore, you must follow Oracle’s licensing guidelines for named users. You can also purchase a perpetual license for your software.
  • Oracle applications are licensed based on several metrics, such as user count and number of sales orders. You can purchase more than one license for your enterprise, but you must be sure that the number of users is sufficient to meet the requirements. If unsure, you can consult Oracle’s Ordering Document for more information. Oracle licenses are based on several metrics, and this can vary greatly.

What are Oracle licensing and assessment services?

How can Oracle licensing and assessment services help you? The Oracle licensing optimization service looks at past, present, and future events that could influence your Oracle license usage.

It also considers virtualization, data centers, acquisitions, and divestitures.

Upon completion, these services will provide recommendations for adjusting your license usage.

This includes a license position report that analyzes all of these factors. Ultimately, this service can help you save time and money by reducing your Oracle license cost.

The license assessment is conducted to identify which types of Oracle products you use. You must comply with the terms and conditions of your license agreement if you use Oracle products.

This is also known as the Unlimited License Agreement (ULA). The user must declare how much they use the Oracle software at the end of a licensing period and how many licenses they need.

Oracle will audit these licenses and provide a report for each type of use.

Independent Oracle License Services are designed to give customers the confidence to decide about Oracle software licensing.

Oracle license service will help you evaluate your Oracle estate and align your license usage with your business strategy.

They will implement data collection tools to assess Oracle software license usage and provide insight into gaps.

The reports will also highlight areas where your organization needs help and give proactive guidance to IT. These audits will help you maintain and improve your Oracle software licenses and reduce your risk of non-compliance.

Java Licensing can be costly for customers who do not manage its licenses. We recommend everyone read our guide on how to manage Java licenses.

Oracle License Report

If you need to determine the number of licenses for Oracle programs in your organization, you should request an Oracle license report.

The report should be delivered in an Excel format, listing the product name, the support identification number, the order number, and the number of licenses.

For example, if your organization has several subsidiaries, you should request an Oracle license report for each entity. You can then use this information to determine which licenses you own on each entity.

The report also includes the number of license entitlements for Oracle Database options, management packs, and database instances. You can then use the data to determine how many licenses you need by comparing it to your actual deployments.

Running an Oracle license report involves running a series of scripts to gather license data. Each script runs parallel to the other and collects data about each product.

The Oracle license report helps you identify your business’s most appropriate licensing strategy during this process.

The license report will also recommend managing your software assets and licenses effectively. For the longest-term compliance, you should consider utilizing Redress Compliance managed services.

Oracle license compliance

oracle license compliance

Using virtual machines and server virtualization has created a challenge for software license compliance management.

Oracle has faced a legal challenge for its audit process in a lawsuit by Mars, Inc., which provided more than two hundred thousand pages of documentation. This lawsuit is the first to challenge Oracle’s license compliance process.

To understand how virtual machines affect compliance with Oracle licenses, knowing how each one is licensed is helpful.

Licensing processes are complex and often leave organizations in a bind. Complex licensing terms, subtle rule changes, and a lack of clarity can all contribute to non-compliance.

Large organizations with multiple licenses are especially vulnerable to non-compliance, which can result in severe penalties.

A proper licensing process is vital for Oracle software compliance. Oracle licensing policies are constantly evolving.

The Licensed product names and metrics can change with new technology and functionality. Oracle typically audits the old metrics and converts customers to the new metrics.

This creates more license revenue for Oracle. This asset management process involves a database of all license metrics and definitions. Typically, these metrics are documented in the Oracle Ordering Document.

Contact Redress Compliance for Oracle’s licensing expertise if you need assistance.

Oracle License Review

A licensing review is an essential part of a software asset management program. It outlines the current state of an organization’s software license estate and compares entitlements to deployments and organization contracts.

A comprehensive strategic report is produced to identify shortfalls and surpluses in a software license estate. It also identifies options for future changes in addition to the Oracle License Review.

The license review can cause high stress and impact internal IT resources and unbudgeted expenditures. While preparing for an Oracle audit yourself is possible, engaging an expert in the process is best.

Redress has extensive experience with multi-national enterprises and can help you assess license compliance and plan for the future through a proactive approach to SAM.

As an Oracle user, you’ll likely be tempted to accept Oracle’s license audit as fact. However, you could end up paying for licenses you don’t need. Oracle’s audit output can be somewhat cryptic.

It wants to know how your servers are configured and whether they use virtualization, hardware architecture, or core counts. Once you’ve completed the audit, you must pay for the required licenses.

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Author

  • Fredrik Filipsson

    Fredrik Filipsson brings two decades of Oracle license management experience, including a nine-year tenure at Oracle and 11 years in Oracle license consulting. His expertise extends across leading IT corporations like IBM, enriching his profile with a broad spectrum of software and cloud projects. Filipsson's proficiency encompasses IBM, SAP, Microsoft, and Salesforce platforms, alongside significant involvement in Microsoft Copilot and AI initiatives, enhancing organizational efficiency.