fbpx
 

Category: Compliance

When is a Terabyte not a Terabyte?
Sharon TrembleyCompliance, IBM

When you’re licensing with IBM (and possibly others*). This licensing metric used for IBM software storage products seems to be self-described by its name – Terabyte.  A Terabyte (TB) is a unit for measuring digital information.   Tera– represents the fourth power of 1000, or 1012, or one trillion bytes. However when you read IBM’s licensing definition of the Terabyte metric, it’s not 1012:  A Terabyte is 2 to the 40th power bytes.  Outside of IBM, 240 is generally considered a […]

Enabling and Disabling Oracle Database Options and Management Packs
Dr. William J. ButtigiegCompliance, licensing, Oracle 11g, Oracle 12g, Oracle database, Oracle license, Oracle Licensing Compliance

Oracle Databases include extra options that are not covered by the basic license Some of these options are enabled by default when creating new databases Organizations that enable extra options without licensing are out of compliance Oracle provides a number of database options and management packs for the Oracle Database, which are licensable extra cost options. Unfortunately, many of our clients are surprised to learn that they are unknowingly using unlicensed database options and management packs and are therefore out […]

10 Oracle Data Recovery Mistakes That Put You Out of Compliance
Dr. William J. ButtigiegCompliance, licensing, Oracle, Oracle database, Oracle Disaster Recoverey

Having a data recovery strategy in place is critical to ensuring business continuity in the event of an outage or disaster. When developing a data recovery strategy, it is essential to take into consideration the different licensing rules when deploying backups, failover (active/passive), and high-availability (active/active) scenarios. Many of our customers remain confused regarding the licensing requirements for Oracle data recovery environments. As a result, this could cause the organization to be out-of-compliance and fail an audit. Therefore, it is […]

8 Secrets Microsoft Won’t Tell You
adminCompliance, licensing, Microsoft, Microsoft Audit, Microsoft Licensing Tip, Microsoft Software Assurance

Microsoft keeps a lot of secrets from its clients. They can cost companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in compliance penalties and wasted expenditures. They can also cost you your job. 1. You’re Paying for Cloud Whether You Use It or Not Microsoft Enterprise Agreements typically include an “Azure Monetary Commitment” fee. This is Microsoft charging you for using their cloud, even if you didn’t want it or ever use it. Not only do Microsoft reps usually not explain what […]

Oracle Virtualization Compliance
Wayne FedericoCompliance, Oracle, Oracle database, Oracle license, Oracle Licensing Compliance, Software audit, software license, Virtualization

Any mention of virtualization causes many people to immediately think of VMware, as they remain to be a main player among virtualization technologies. The challenge of keeping up with Oracle’s evolving licensing requirements of virtualization platforms can be a daunting endeavor for many IT departments and Oracle database administrators. Any technological advancement made by VMware, specifically relating to any abilities to easily move server sessions around the virtualized environment, prompts a new possible interpretation of licensing requirements by Oracle on […]

Is Your Organization Out of Software Compliance following a Merger, Acquisition, or Divestiture?
Dr. William J. ButtigiegCompliance, Contract Negotiations, Oracle audit, Oracle Licensing Compliance, Uncategorized

Executive Summary A merger, acquisition or divestiture initiative can pose a serious software license management risk. When considering such initiatives, organizations should review all licensing agreements to ascertain if they are freely transferable between organizations. Non-compliance can lead to an audit failure, significant penalties, and expensive software purchasing fees that can be completely unexpected and at times unnecessary. Risks/Considerations Software licensing agreements typically include language that states licenses as non-transferrable and may be unusable until the organization obtains the software […]

Will You be Forced to Use a Microsoft CSP?
Tim HegedusCloud, Compliance, Microsoft, Microsoft Audit, Microsoft Enterprise Agreements, Microsoft Licensing Compliance, Microsoft Software Assurance

Discontinuing Microsoft Software Assurance is no longer an option Microsoft is significantly advancing its cloud services by transitioning their existing customer base to Office 365, Exchange Online, and the various Azure offerings. It also involves upselling existing cloud customers on a broader range of services. The most notable of these is Microsoft 365, a suite of Office 365, Windows (client), and Enterprise Mobility + Security (“EMS”). Yet another strategy has emerged as Microsoft seeks to ramp up its smaller customers. […]

Modern Policies Supersede Legacy Software Contract Terms
Sharon TrembleyCompliance, Contract Negotiations, IBM, IT Asset Management, licensing, Oracle, Oracle license, Oracle Licensing Compliance, Oracle ULA, Software audit, Uncategorized, Virtualization

Modern Policies Supersede Legacy Software Contract Terms Server Metric Just because a legacy contract doesn’t include rules on virtualization or multi-core processors, it doesn’t mean the organization can simply ignore the vendor’s current policies on those subjects.  When virtualization technologies were developed, software vendors changed the way servers were licensed.  When a server had a single processor and core, the entire server was licensed as a Server metric. With the introduction of hardware with multiple processors and then multi-core processors, […]

In Archive