Oracle Third party Support

Support Revolution: Oracle Third-Party Support Alternative

Support Revolution

Support Revolution: Oracle Third-Party Support Alternative

Support Revolution is a third-party support provider offering an alternative to Oracleโ€™s support services for enterprise software.

As one of the smallest players in this market, this UK-based firm emphasizes deep cost savings (often 50%+ lower fees) and personalized service.

This advisory overview examines Support Revolutionโ€™s offerings, target clientele, advantages, and limitations so CIOs and sourcing professionals can determine if itโ€™s the right fit for their organization.

The Rise of Third-Party Support Alternatives

Many enterprises are exploring third-party support for Oracle software to cut costs and gain flexibility.

Oracleโ€™s Premier Support is expensive โ€“ typically 22% of license costs annually โ€“ and often seen as providing limited value on stable, mature systems. In response, independent providers have emerged to maintain Oracle systems at a fraction of the cost.

This approach has gained mainstream traction in recent years as IT budgets have tightened.

Analysts report a sharp increase in enterprises dropping vendor support in favor of third-party services, and they predict that the third-party support market will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years.

Key point: Third-party support is now a viable and widely used strategy to reduce maintenance costs while keeping mission-critical Oracle applications running.

Several vendors lead this space, most notably Rimini Street (the largest provider globally) and Spinnaker Support (a mid-sized firm known for its Oracle expertise). Support Revolution stands as a niche alternative โ€“ a smaller UK-headquartered provider that has carved out a position based on ultra-competitive pricing.

All third-party support firms share a common promise: they will support your existing Oracle software (including customizations and older versions) with responsive service and lower fees, in exchange for foregoing Oracleโ€™s official updates and resources.

The following sections focus on Support Revolutionโ€™s profile as an alternative to Oracle’s third-party support.

Support Revolution at a Glance

Founded in 2012, Support Revolution started in the United Kingdom and remains headquartered there. It was created specifically to offer Oracle (and later SAP and even VMware) customers a way to escape high vendor support fees.

Over the past decade, the company has grown modestly, serving Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle Database, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and other Oracle product lines. It also provides similar services for SAP environments.

Despite marketing itself as a global provider with offices in multiple regions, Support Revolutionโ€™s operations are relatively small compared to its main rivals.

The company has fewer than 100 in-house employees (mostly based in the UK), significantly fewer resources than giants like Rimini Street (which has thousands of staff worldwide) or Spinnaker Support (with several hundred staff).

To punch above its weight, Support Revolution relies on a โ€œleanโ€ model โ€“ maintaining a core team of Oracle experts in-house and augmenting with outsourced support engineers in lower-cost locations.

For example, it has support staff and contractors based in India and other offshore hubs to provide 24/7 coverage.

This globally distributed approach enables the firm to keep costs low, but it also underscores that Support Revolution is the smallest player among the major third-party support providers.

In the market, Support Revolution is known for:

  • Aggressive Pricing: They often quote fees lower than those of any competitor, making them attractive to cost-conscious clients.
  • UK/Public Sector Focus: Many of their early customers are UK organizations (including government agencies via the G-Cloud framework) and midsize enterprises in EMEA. Their brand recognition and client base are strongest in the UK market.
  • Oracle & SAP Specialization: The company supports a broad range of Oracle software (ERP, database, middleware, etc.) and SAP products, but generally doesnโ€™t venture beyond those megavendors, except for some VMware support. This specialization helps a small team maintain expertise in the supported products.

Service Model and Capabilities

Support Revolution positions itself as providing full-service support instead of Oracleโ€™s support โ€“ meaning clients can log issues with them just as they would with Oracle, and expect troubleshooting, patches or workarounds, and advice for their Oracle systems.

Key aspects of their service delivery include:

  • Issue Resolution and SLAs: The company touts strict Service Level Agreements, including guaranteed response and resolution times. For critical (Severity 1) issues, they advertise a 10-minute response and aim for a fix within 2 hours. This is a much more aggressive SLA than Oracleโ€™s standard support, reflecting the personalized attention a smaller firm can offer. Every customer is assigned a dedicated account manager and often a named primary engineer or team familiar with their environment.
  • Coverage of Customizations: Like other third-party providers, Support Revolution will support custom code, integrations, and older software versions that Oracle itself may refuse to support or has long ceased to support. For example, if you run Oracle E-Business Suite R12 or an older Oracle Database version with extensive custom modifications, Support Revolution will take on resolving issues in that customized environment. Oracleโ€™s policy would be to request that issues be reproduced on an uncustomized, up-to-date version โ€“ something many clients cannot easily do. Support Revolutionโ€™s willingness to work on โ€œas-isโ€ customized systems is a major value-add for companies with heavily tailored Oracle systems.
  • Security Patches and Updates: When you leave Oracle support, you lose access to Oracleโ€™s official patches and quarterly updates. Support Revolution addresses this by developing its own patches, fixes, and security workarounds for known vulnerabilities. They include security services as part of their support (for instance, they bundle a third-party security tool and offer database security health checks). However, these are essentially custom fixes or configuration changes, since the provider cannot legally distribute Oracleโ€™s proprietary patch code. The goal is to keep your system secure and stable even without Oracleโ€™s updates. Many customers find this acceptable for older, stable systems, but it does require trust in the providerโ€™s technical capability to respond quickly to new issues.
  • โ€œFollow-the-Sunโ€ Support: Despite its small size, Support Revolution claims 24/7 support through a follow-the-sun model. With a headquarters support center in the UK and extended teams in India and a few other locations, they try to ensure someone is always available to handle critical incidents. In practice, the bulk of expertise resides in a limited number of senior staff, so complex issues may still rely on UK daytime hours. Global enterprises considering this provider should verify what true around-the-clock coverage they can expect and whether on-call engineers in each timezone have the requisite skills or are simply a triage function.
  • Included Extras: To differentiate their service, Support Revolution includes some extras that Oracle would charge separately for. Examples include proactive system health checks, tax and regulatory updates (which they develop and supply, e.g., legislative patches for payroll or tax changes), and a small allotment of consulting hours (โ€œEnhancement Daysโ€) to assist with minor improvements or optimizations. These bundled services can add value, particularly for smaller IT teams that welcome additional hands-on assistance beyond break/fix support.

Overall, Support Revolutionโ€™s service model is high-touch and cost-conscious. Customers get a more personalized experience โ€“ youโ€™re a big fish in their small pond, rather than one of thousands of Oracle support customers.

The trade-off is that, behind the scenes, the provider has a significantly smaller knowledge base and engineering team than Oracle, and it utilizes contract personnel to expand its reach.

This means clients must rely on the providerโ€™s network and talent pool rather than Oracleโ€™s vast internal resources.

For many organizations with stable systems, this trade-off is worth it โ€“ but it requires due diligence to ensure the provider can truly support your specific Oracle environment.

Pricing and Cost Savings

The primary appeal of Support Revolution is the dramatically lower cost. Third-party support providers typically charge about 50% of Oracleโ€™s annual support fee โ€“ and Support Revolution often goes even lower to win business.

They have advertised that customers can save anywhere from 50% to as much as 90% versus Oracle support costs.

Actual savings vary, but mid-double-digit percentage reductions are common.

How can they cut costs so steeply? A few factors drive their pricing:

  • Lower Overhead: With a smaller staff and operations based in lower-cost locations, the providerโ€™s cost structure is lean. They donโ€™t fund large R&D for new product features (since they only maintain existing software), and they operate outside of expensive Silicon Valley-type hubs.
  • Selective Support Scope: Support Revolution focuses on supporting the software โ€œas-is.โ€ They are not providing new versions or significant enhancements, which means their expenditures are limited to support activities and minor patch development. This narrow scope lowers their cost versus Oracle, which allocates part of your fees to ongoing product development (something you might not need if youโ€™re staying on an older release).
  • Competitive Bidding: As a smaller entrant, Support Revolution often undercuts larger rivals on price to win customers. They can be flexible in structuring deals โ€“ for example, they might offer an introductory discount or custom pricing for a bundle of Oracle and SAP systems, especially for midsize clients where every dollar saved is crucial.

To illustrate the cost difference, consider the following comparison of annual support fees:

Cost ElementOracle Premier SupportSupport Revolution (Third-Party)
Annual maintenance fee~22% of original license value (per year)~10โ€“12% of license value (roughly half of Oracleโ€™s fee, or better)
Support for older versionsExtra cost for Extended Support (10โ€“20% surcharges) or not available after cutoff datesIncluded at no additional charge (support provided for any version indefinitely)
Upgrades & new featuresIncluded in fee (rights to new versions, but requires you to perform upgrade projects)Not included (no rights to Oracleโ€™s new versions; you avoid costly upgrades but wonโ€™t get new features)
Patches and security updatesProvided by Oracle for current versions (quarterly Critical Patch Updates)Provided by third-party via custom fixes and security workarounds (focused on your current version)
Typical 5-year support cost (for $1M in licenses)โ‰ˆ $1.1M (and potentially more if upgrades or extended support needed)โ‰ˆ $500K (assuming ~$100K/year third-party fee) โ€“ Over 50% savings

Table: Rough comparison of Oracle vs. third-party support costs and inclusions.

In practice, organizations using Support Revolution free up a substantial portion of their IT maintenance budget.

For example, if you currently pay $2 million per year to Oracle, switching to a third-party provider like Support Revolution might reduce that to around $800,000, saving $1.2 million annually that can be reinvested elsewhere.

These savings can be game-changing for CIOs looking to fund digital transformation projects or simply reduce run-rate expenses.

However, cost isnโ€™t the only factor. Itโ€™s important to weigh what you get (and donโ€™t get) for the lower fee:

  • You retain full support for daily operations, troubleshooting, and even custom code issues (often better support in those areas than Oracle provides).
  • You lose access to new Oracle releases and official patches, meaning you must rely on the third-party for fixes and forgo Oracle-led innovations until or unless you re-subscribe with Oracle.
  • You avoid forced upgrades and can run your stable system for many years without change โ€“ saving on costly upgrade projects, but also potentially delaying adoption of new technology.

For many, the cost advantage is decisive as long as their Oracle system is stable and meets business needs.

Ensure that the contract with the third party clearly outlines any additional charges (e.g., one-time onboarding fees or fees for adding extra products later).

In most cases, Support Revolutionโ€™s contracts are straightforward, charging the annual fee per product with flexibility to drop or add products as needed.

Ideal Customers and Use Cases

Support Revolutionโ€™s sweet spot is organizations that are highly cost-conscious and running relatively stable Oracle environments.

Based on their client base and approach, here are the scenarios where this provider is a strong fit:

  • Midsize Enterprises and Smaller Organizations: Companies that may not have substantial IT budgets or extensive global IT teams often find Support Revolution a good fit. They get a dedicated, personable service without the premium price tag. Many UK mid-market firms, local government bodies, and universities fall into this category โ€“ they need to maintain Oracle systems (such as an ERP or database). Still, they cannot justify Oracleโ€™s steep fees.
  • Public Sector and Regulated Industries: The provider has experience with public sector clients (being listed on government procurement frameworks in the UK). Such organizations value the cost savings (as it frees taxpayer funds for other uses) and still require reliable support to stay compliant. Support Revolutionโ€™s inclusion of tax/regulatory updates is a draw here, ensuring, for example, that a public agencyโ€™s Oracle HR/payroll system stays updated with law changes even after Oracleโ€™s official support has expired.
  • Stable Legacy Systems (โ€œRun and Maintainโ€ mode): If your Oracle applications are in a steady state โ€“ say you are on E-Business Suite 12.1 or Oracle Database 12c with no urgent need to upgrade โ€“ third-party support is particularly compelling. Support Revolution will keep that legacy system running smoothly for years beyond Oracleโ€™s official support dates. This is ideal for businesses that plan to eventually retire or replace the system (perhaps moving to cloud SaaS or another platform) but want to avoid spending on Oracle support or forced upgrades during the interim. Example use case: A manufacturing company running a heavily customized Oracle EBS from 2010 might choose Support Revolution to support it through the next 5 years while they gradually implement a new cloud ERP. In the meantime, they save money and get support for all customizations that Oracle would not have supported.
  • Supplementing Oracleโ€™s Gaps: Organizations with highly customized Oracle products or niche modules that Oracle support has struggled with may turn to a provider like Support Revolution for enhanced service. If Oracle has told you โ€œnoโ€ on supporting a modification, or has shelved a product you rely on (for instance, Oracle acquired a product and announced end-of-life), a third-party supporter can fill the gap. Support Revolution has case studies where they support products Oracle no longer invests in, allowing clients to continue using them safely. This is a way to extend the useful life of software that would otherwise be orphaned.
  • SAP or Mixed-Environment Customers: While our focus is Oracle, itโ€™s worth noting if your organization also has SAP applications, Support Revolution can cover both under one roof. A unified third-party support contract for all enterprise apps can simplify vendor management and potentially yield volume discounts. Smaller enterprises running Oracle and SAP have leveraged this provider to consolidate support needs after leaving both Oracleโ€™s and SAPโ€™s support programs.

In summary, Support Revolution works best for organizations that prioritize cost savings and have a clear plan to operate on current software versions for an extended period.

If your business is not dependent on getting the latest Oracle upgrades and can run effectively on โ€œas-isโ€ systems, the value proposition is strongest.

Limitations and Considerations

For CIOs at large global enterprises or those with highly dynamic IT roadmaps, there are important caveats to consider when working with a small provider like Support Revolution.

Here are the key limitations and risks to weigh:

  • Limited Scale and Global Reach: As mentioned, Support Revolution has a much smaller team than its main competitors. While they do have a presence in multiple countries, their core expertise is concentrated in the UK and a few offshore centers. A global enterprise with operations in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region should carefully assess whether the provider truly has the follow-the-sun support capacity at the required depth. If you need on-site support or deep knowledge across a wide array of Oracle products, a larger provider might offer more breadth. Support Revolutionโ€™s size means that if a couple of key Oracle experts leave, it could have an outsized impact on service quality for their clients.
  • Less Proprietary IP and Tools: Larger third-party firms have developed extensive proprietary tools, knowledge bases, and labs to create patches or test against various configurations. Support Revolution, being smaller, may rely more on individual expertise and ad-hoc solutions. They do produce patches and fixes, but their library of prior solutions might not be as extensive. For common Oracle products, this is usually fine, but if you have very niche Oracle modules or uncommon setups, verify that they have experience in that area.
  • Primarily UK Market Experience: Most of Support Revolutionโ€™s reference clients and experience come from the UK and the EMEA region. Enterprises based elsewhere or with predominantly US/Asia operations may find fewer customer references to consult in their region. The provider is expanding globally, but as of now, you may be among the early adopters in, say, North America. This doesnโ€™t mean they canโ€™t support you. Still, youโ€™ll want to rigorously check their capabilities in your time zone and for your localization needs (e.g., if you run Oracle Payroll for US or APAC countries, do they have the expertise to handle country-specific legislative patches outside the UK?).
  • Dependency on Oracleโ€™s Future Tolerance: Third-party support for Oracle is legal โ€“ itโ€™s established that your Oracle licenses are perpetual and you are allowed to use independent support. Support Revolution itself has managed to avoid any high-profile legal entanglements with Oracle by adhering to the rules (for instance, not illegally copying Oracleโ€™s code). However, be aware of Oracleโ€™s policies: Oracleโ€™s contracts often include clauses such as โ€œMatching Service Levels,โ€ which require you to keep all licenses of a product family on support if you retain any. This means if you want to drop some databases to third-party support but keep others with Oracle, you might violate contract terms. In practice, most customers opt for comprehensive third-party support for a specific product line. Additionally, if you ever need to return to Oracle support for an upgraded version later, Oracle will charge back support fees for the lapsed period plus penalties. This is a general consideration, not unique to Support Revolution, but it affects the long-term cost calculation.
  • No New Features or Major Upgrades: Engaging a provider like Support Revolution typically signals that you intend to stay on your current software version for the foreseeable future. Suppose your business strategy changes and you suddenly need a new Oracle module or decide to upgrade to a new Oracle release. In that case, youโ€™ll have to budget for re-enrolling with Oracle (with those back fees) or purchasing new licenses. Thus, thereโ€™s an opportunity cost to leaving Oracle support: you give up the ability to easily adopt new Oracle technology. Enterprises should be confident that their Oracle system can meet their needs without an upgrade for the duration of the third-party support contract. Many CIOs mitigate this by timing third-party support during a systemโ€™s end-of-life phase or while migrating to a new system, so theyโ€™re not expecting to invest further in that Oracle platform.
  • Vendor Viability and Support Quality: As with any small vendor, itโ€™s prudent to evaluate Support Revolutionโ€™s financial stability and track record. They are privately held, and while they have been in business for over a decade, their scale is limited. Ensure they have a sustainable business model (so far, their growth in the UK suggests they do) and that they will be around for the length of your contract. Regarding support quality, customer feedback is generally positive, particularly in terms of responsiveness and value for money. Still, results can vary โ€“ itโ€™s crucial to speak to existing customers of a similar profile (industry, size, region) to hear their experience. A smaller provider can often deliver excellent personalized service, but you want to confirm that with real-world examples, not just sales promises.

In short, large enterprises must approach Support Revolution with an open mind: the cost savings are undeniable, but you are entrusting critical systems to a boutique firm.

Many global companies successfully use smaller niche IT providers, but they do so by thoroughly vetting capabilities and building strong governance into the relationship.

If your organization can tolerate the risk of a leaner support setup and has a stable Oracle environment, Support Revolution can be a highly effective way to cut costs.

If you need the comfort of a big bench of experts on call or have an ever-evolving Oracle landscape, you may lean toward a larger third-party or staying with Oracle for certain key products.

Recommendations

If you are considering Support Revolution as an Oracle support alternative, keep the following expert tips in mind to maximize your success:

  • 1. Do Thorough Due Diligence: Investigate the providerโ€™s experience with your specific Oracle products. Request customer references from individuals in your industry or region. A smaller vendorโ€™s capabilities can be very strong in some areas but thin in others โ€“ make sure they have proven expertise for each technology stack you rely on (database, ERP module, etc.).
  • 2. Scrutinize the Contract Terms: Carefully review the support contract for any scope limits or extra fees. Ensure it covers all critical elements (customizations, performance issues, security patch process). Look out for any exclusions. Also, verify termination clauses and flexibility โ€“ you may want a get-out clause if service is subpar.
  • 3. Plan for Security and Compliance: Since you wonโ€™t get Oracleโ€™s official patches, work with Support Revolution to understand their security update process. Ensure they have a solid plan for critical vulnerabilities (e.g., how quickly do they respond to a newly disclosed Oracle security flaw?). Additionally, document how you will demonstrate compliance (to auditors or regulators) without Oracle patches. Often, compensating controls or third-party scans can satisfy this requirement, but plan it out accordingly.
  • 4. Start with a Pilot or Phased Approach: If feasible, consider moving a subset of your Oracle portfolio to Support Revolution first (for example, a non-production instance or a less critical system) before the entire environment. This pilot can validate their performance and give your team the confidence it needs. Many enterprises do a phased cutover โ€“ e.g., database support first, then ERP, etc. โ€“ to mitigate risk.
  • 5. Lock in SLAs and Governance: Negotiate specific Service Level Agreements and put governance in place. Given the promised 2-hour resolution on critical issues, please have this in writing, along with any service credits or penalties if the resolution is missed. Set up regular service reviews (monthly or quarterly) with their management to address any concerns promptly. A hands-on approach will ensure the vendor stays accountable.
  • 6. Coordinate Knowledge Transfer: Before ending Oracle support, download all relevant Oracle documentation, patches (that youโ€™re entitled to up to your end date), and knowledge base articles that might be useful. Share system architecture, custom code details, and issue history with Support Revolutionโ€™s team early. A well-planned knowledge transfer and onboarding process will help the third-party support team hit the ground running and reduce learning curve delays.
  • 7. Monitor License Compliance: Stay vigilant on your Oracle license usage when off support. Oracle may audit customers who leave its support. Ensure youโ€™re not unintentionally using more licenses or modules than you own, as this could lead to costly penalties unrelated to third-party support. Maintaining clean records and adhering to entitlements will prevent any audit headaches that Oracle might attempt to introduce.

Checklist: 5 Actions to Take

If you decide to proceed with a third-party support option like Support Revolution, follow this step-by-step plan to ensure a smooth transition:

  1. Assess Your Systems and Contracts: Inventory all Oracle products and their corresponding versions. Check your Oracle support agreements for any clauses (like matching service levels) that affect how you can transition. Identify which systems are candidates for third-party support (typically stable, no immediate upgrades needed).
  2. Calculate Potential Savings: Gather your current Oracle support costs (and any upcoming cost increases or upgrade expenses). Get a quote from Support Revolution for the equivalent support. Quantify the savings over the next 3-5 years to build the business case. Include any Oracle penalties for future re-support, if relevant, to have a complete picture.
  3. Engage Stakeholders and Gain Buy-In: Present the plan to key stakeholders, including IT operations, security, application owners, and finance. Ensure everyone understands the implications (no Oracle patches, reliance on a smaller vendor) and the mitigation strategies. Obtaining buy-in from both the leadership and technical teams is crucial before signing the contract.
  4. Execute the Transition Plan: Coordinate the end of Oracle support and the start of Support Revolutionโ€™s coverage. This includes notifying Oracle (if required) that you wonโ€™t renew, aligning the cutover date, and ensuring that Support Revolutionโ€™s support portal/ticketing system is set up for you. Conduct knowledge transfer sessions: your team should brief the new support provider on your environment, and you should get introductions to the support engineers and the account manager assigned.
  5. Monitor and Adapt: Once under Support Revolution, closely monitor support ticket response and resolution in the first few months. Track key metrics (response times, resolution quality, any incidents). Hold a review meeting after 90 days to discuss any gaps or areas for improvement with the provider. If any issues arise (e.g., a patch delay or communication issue), address them promptly. This will ensure a sustained, successful partnership and give you confidence to possibly extend the scope (if you started with a pilot system, you can now consider moving more systems over).

Download Procurement Advisory Playbook: Transitioning from Oracle Support to Thirdโ€‘Party Support.

๐Ÿ’ธ Realize Tangible Financial Benefits Beyond Just Cost Savings

  • Save 50%+ annually on Oracle support fees โ€” and avoid costly forced upgrades.
  • Extend the life of stable systems without paying for software you donโ€™t need.
  • Understand the total cost reduction: license optimization + deferred hardware/software spend.
  • Learn how third-party support frees up budget for innovation, not just maintenance.

FAQ

Q1: Is it legal and allowed to use Support Revolution instead of Oracleโ€™s support?
A1: Yes โ€“ it is legal to switch to third-party support. When you purchase Oracle software licenses, they are typically perpetual; you are not obligated to buy Oracleโ€™s support annually. Oracle cannot cancel your licenses for choosing an independent support provider. Court rulings (such as the Oracle vs. Rimini Street case) have affirmed that third-party support is lawful, as long as providers follow certain rules (e.g., they must not distribute Oracleโ€™s intellectual property). Companies should, however, remain in compliance with their license terms (using only what they have rights to) because Oracle can still audit for license misuse. In short, thousands of Oracle customers worldwide have transitioned to third-party support options, such as Support Revolution.

Q2: What do we lose by dropping Oracleโ€™s support and using an alternative like Support Revolution?
A2: The main sacrifice is access to Oracleโ€™s updates, patches, and new product releases. When you leave Oracle support, you no longer receive version upgrades, bug fixes from Oracle, or the ability to log service requests with Oracle. Support Revolution will provide fixes and workarounds for your current software versions, but you will not receive any new features that Oracle develops. You also lose access to Oracleโ€™s online support portal and knowledge base. Essentially, you are โ€œlocking inโ€ on your existing versions. For many, this is acceptable for some time (especially if those versions are stable and meet business needs). If, down the road, you decide you need an Oracle upgrade, you would likely have to resubscribe to Oracle support (and pay back fees). Itโ€™s essential to plan for this trade-off and opt for third-party support only when you anticipate a period of stability on that platform.

Q3: How does Support Revolution handle security patches and critical bug fixes without Oracleโ€™s updates?
A3: Support Revolution has a team of engineers that monitors vulnerabilities and issues in Oracle software. They develop custom patches, code fixes, or configuration changes to address security alerts and bugs. For example, if a new database vulnerability is disclosed, they would work on providing you a fix or mitigation (such as a script to close a security loophole or a recommendation to change a configuration) even though you cannot apply Oracleโ€™s official patch. They also implement proactive security measures, such as incorporating security tools and conducting regular system health checks to identify issues early. While this approach can cover many scenarios, itโ€™s not identical to having Oracleโ€™s official patches. There is a slight risk that a newly discovered vulnerability may require creative remediation, as third parties do not have access to Oracleโ€™s internal patch source code. That said, top third-party providers have a strong track record of maintaining system security. You should discuss with Support Revolution how they handled recent Oracle security notices and ensure their process meets your companyโ€™s security policy. Additionally, maintain good general security hygiene (network firewalls, access controls) as an extra layer of defense while on any third-party support.

Q4: Will switching to Support Revolution trigger an Oracle audit or impact our Oracle relationship?
A4: Thereโ€™s no guarantee, but Oracle may scrutinize your account more closely if you leave their support. Oracleโ€™s license audits can happen to any customer, and some organizations perceive the audit risk to be heightened for those that stop paying support (as Oracle now earns less from you). The key is to be prepared: ensure your usage of Oracle software is fully compliant with your entitlements. If you have unlicensed usage, itโ€™s better to address it proactively than to risk an audit dispute. In terms of the relationship, expect that Oracleโ€™s sales team will attempt to win you back โ€“ possibly offering discounts or warnings. This is a normal part of the process. Many companies maintain a professional relationship with Oracle for other products or future deals, even while using third-party support in the interim. Handle the communication with Oracle carefully: inform them that youโ€™ve decided not to renew support for certain products (you donโ€™t necessarily have to mention the third-party provider). Oracle typically offers a grace period to return, but after a lapse, rejoining later will incur a hefty reinstatement fee. Ensure that all this is understood internally so that there are no surprises if you ever need Oracle support again.

Q5: Can a small provider like Support Revolution support a large, global enterprise effectively?
A5: It depends on the complexity of your environment and the expectations. Support Revolution does have some large customers (for instance, large retailers and financial institutions in the UK), which shows they can handle big environments. They offer 24/7 support and have multiple regional offices to cover global needs. However, as a small firm, they will never have the same scale of personnel or breadth of specialization as Oracle or even larger third-party rivals. For a global enterprise, this means ensuring their support model aligns with your needs: Will they have Oracle DBAs, application specialists, and middleware experts for all the components you use? Can they handle surges in ticket volume or multiple critical issues at once? How do they cover time zones โ€“ is it a follow-the-sun team or just on-call from the UK overnight? In practice, many large enterprises successfully utilize third-party support by clearly defining their requirements and sometimes retaining a level of internal expertise as a backup. You might decide to augment third-party support with a small internal team or an external consultant for very niche areas. If you set the right expectations and perhaps start with a smaller scope to test the waters, you can mitigate the risk. In summary, a small provider can support a large enterprise. Still, it requires extra diligence in vetting their capabilities, and possibly a more collaborative approach to support than you would take with a big vendor.

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  • Fredrik Filipsson

    Fredrik Filipsson is the co-founder of Redress Compliance, a leading independent advisory firm specializing in Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, IBM, and Salesforce licensing. With over 20 years of experience in software licensing and contract negotiations, Fredrik has helped hundreds of organizationsโ€”including numerous Fortune 500 companiesโ€”optimize costs, avoid compliance risks, and secure favorable terms with major software vendors. Fredrik built his expertise over two decades working directly for IBM, SAP, and Oracle, where he gained in-depth knowledge of their licensing programs and sales practices. For the past 11 years, he has worked as a consultant, advising global enterprises on complex licensing challenges and large-scale contract negotiations.

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