How Redress Compliance helped Roche transition Oracle Siebel CRM support to a third-party provider, saving $500K annually ($1.5M over 3 years) while maintaining full compliance in a highly regulated pharmaceutical environment.
This case study is part of our Oracle Third-Party Support series. For the full advisory service, see Oracle Third-Party Support Advisory Service. For the return playbook, see Returning to Oracle After Third-Party Support.
Roche, a global pharmaceutical and diagnostics leader headquartered in Switzerland, employs over 100,000 people across more than 100 countries. Known for pioneering work in cancer treatments, biotechnology, and data-driven diagnostics, Roche operates a complex and highly regulated IT landscape supporting R&D, commercial operations, supply chain, and customer engagement.
One legacy application embedded in Roche's commercial operations was Oracle Siebel CRM. While still operational in some business units, Siebel had become a low-change, stable system with no major upgrades or customisation planned. Despite the platform's diminished strategic importance, Roche was still paying Oracle's full annual support at nearly $500,000 per year.
Roche engaged Redress Compliance to explore options for optimising Siebel-related spend without risking compliance or operational continuity.
Roche's challenge was clear: maintain Siebel for the short to mid-term, but stop paying premium Oracle support for a legacy platform at steady state.
| Challenge | Detail | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| High support cost, declining value | Annual Siebel support exceeded $475K with no critical support requests or major patches in 2+ years | Paying premium fees for a service that was rarely used |
| Oracle's "all or nothing" stance | Oracle refused to decouple Siebel support or reduce price. Full entitlement coverage declared non-negotiable | No vendor flexibility without committing to new cloud deals |
| Audit and compliance concerns | Any transition had to be fully defensible, risk-managed, and compliant with licensing terms | Pharmaceutical regulatory requirements (GxP, audit trail) added complexity |
| Complex alternatives landscape | Oracle negotiations, licensing review, legal scrutiny, and unfamiliarity with third-party models | Internal teams needed specialist guidance to untangle options |
| Stakeholder hesitance | Business units demanded assurance that service quality and system reliability would not suffer | Risk-averse culture required rigorous proof before any change |
Redress Compliance launched a focused engagement covering licensing assessment, Oracle negotiation, third-party evaluation, and transition planning.
| Phase | Activity | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Licence and deployment optimisation | Full licensing assessment across Roche's Siebel deployment | Mapped modules and usage by region and business unit. Verified entitlement coverage against active deployments. Identified inactive components still under support billing. Revealed several modules no longer in active use yet still contributing to the support cost base |
| Phase 2: Oracle negotiation support | Reviewed Oracle contracts and advised on levers to request price reductions or carve-outs | Prepared commercial positioning to challenge Oracle's "all or nothing" support stance. Benchmarked fair pricing against industry norms. Despite several negotiation rounds, Oracle declined to reduce Siebel support fees unless Roche committed to new cloud deals. Redress flagged this as vendor lock-in |
| Phase 3: Third-party support evaluation | Introduced third-party support as a viable, low-risk option for Siebel | Facilitated detailed technical and commercial due diligence comparing cost savings potential, security patching and compliance capabilities, SLAs and responsiveness, and pharmaceutical industry experience. Ensured chosen provider met GxP, audit trail, and security requirements |
| Phase 4: Transition planning and compliance safeguards | Supported the entire transition from Oracle to third-party support | Documentation of licence entitlements and deployment history. Risk mitigation planning for future Oracle scrutiny. Internal communication and change management. Operational alignment with validation and QA processes |
Oracle refused to reduce or decouple Siebel support, attempting to tie concessions to new cloud purchases. This is a common pattern. Independent advisory helps organisations see through this positioning and evaluate alternatives without vendor pressure. The refusal to negotiate on legacy support pricing is often the catalyst that makes third-party support the most rational option.
The engagement delivered immediate and long-term benefits for Roche.
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Annual savings | $500,000 per year |
| 3-year total savings | $1,500,000 |
| Compliance status | Zero audit or compliance issues. Strong entitlement records and controlled transition |
| Support quality | Seamless continuity. Equal or better responsiveness from new provider |
| Oracle lock-in avoided | Preserved Roche's ability to negotiate future Oracle services independently |
| Licence ownership | Full ownership of Siebel licences retained. Migration or decommissioning on Roche's timeline |
| Reusable playbook | Created a framework applicable to other legacy systems facing similar cost/value imbalance |
The engagement created a repeatable playbook that Roche can apply to other legacy Oracle systems. Any stable, low-change platform where Oracle support costs outweigh the value received is a candidate for the same analysis. E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, WebLogic, Oracle Database, and other middleware environments that have reached steady state are all potential targets for similar savings.
"Redress Compliance helped us see beyond Oracle's one-size-fits-all support model. They provided us with the data, options, and confidence to make a more informed decision for our legacy platform. The transition to third-party support was smooth, fully compliant, and resulted in a $1.5 million savings without compromising service. It was a clear win."
This engagement highlights strategies applicable to any regulated enterprise paying Oracle support on stable legacy systems.
| Takeaway | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legacy systems at steady state are prime candidates | If a system has not required critical patches, major upgrades, or significant support requests in 1-2+ years, you are paying for Oracle support capacity you do not consume. Siebel, E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, and stable database environments are common targets |
| Oracle's "all or nothing" stance is a negotiation tactic | Oracle will refuse to reduce or decouple support and attempt to tie concessions to new cloud purchases. Independent advisory helps you see through this positioning and evaluate alternatives without vendor pressure |
| Third-party support is viable in regulated industries | Roche operates in one of the most heavily regulated industries globally (pharmaceutical/GxP). If third-party support can meet pharma-grade compliance, audit trail, and security requirements, it can work for virtually any sector |
| Licence ownership is preserved | Moving to third-party support does not forfeit your Oracle licence rights. You retain full ownership of perpetual licences and can decide on migration, decommissioning, or returning to Oracle support on your own timeline |
| Build a repeatable playbook | The framework developed for Roche's Siebel transition can be applied systematically across other legacy Oracle products. Most large enterprises have multiple candidates where the same cost/value analysis would yield significant savings |
| Start with a support portfolio review | Before making any transition decision, audit your entire Oracle support portfolio. Identify which products are stable, which are actively changing, and where the cost/value ratio is most favourable for optimisation |
By transitioning Siebel CRM support from Oracle to a vetted third-party provider, saving approximately $500,000 per year ($1.5M over three years). The Siebel system was stable with no major patches or critical support requests in over two years, making it an ideal candidate for third-party support.
Siebel had become a low-change, stable system with no major upgrades or customisation planned. Roche had not logged a critical support request or applied major patches in over two years, yet was paying nearly $500K annually. When a system is at steady state, third-party support delivers equivalent coverage at roughly half the cost.
Oracle refused to decouple Siebel support or reduce pricing, declaring full entitlement coverage non-negotiable. Their only concession offer was tied to new cloud purchases, which Redress flagged as vendor lock-in rather than genuine flexibility.
Redress ensured the chosen third-party provider met Roche's GxP, audit trail, and security requirements. Detailed technical and commercial due diligence was conducted, and the transition included comprehensive documentation of licence entitlements, deployment history, and risk mitigation planning.
No. Roche retained full ownership of its Siebel perpetual licences. Third-party support replaces Oracle's support services only. Licence rights remain intact. Roche can decide on future migration, decommissioning, or even returning to Oracle support on its own timeline.
No. The transition was seamless, with equal or better responsiveness from the new provider. Redress managed the entire process including technical onboarding, internal communications, change management, and operational alignment with Roche's validation and QA processes.
Yes. The engagement created a repeatable playbook applicable to any stable, low-change Oracle system. E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, WebLogic, Oracle Database, and other middleware are all candidates. Most large enterprises have multiple systems where the same cost/value analysis would yield significant savings.
Redress ensured comprehensive documentation of licence entitlements and deployment boundaries as part of the transition. These records provide a fully defensible position in case of future Oracle scrutiny. Proper preparation, not avoidance, is the key to audit readiness.
Redress Compliance has helped hundreds of Fortune 500 enterprises, typically saving 15-35% on Oracle renewals, ULA negotiations, and audit defense. 100% vendor-independent. Fixed-fee engagements. No commercial relationships with any software vendor.
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