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Microsoft Unified Support

At the start of its 2019 fiscal year, Microsoft launched Unified Support as a replacement for Premier Support. At the time, it was hailed as the most substantial change to Microsoft’s support programs in two decades, and that it offers customers a simpler, cohesive method of incorporating all of its Microsoft support needs. Since that time, many Miro Clients have been approached by Microsoft – some would suggest badgered by them – to move from Premier Support to Unified Support. […]

Java Licensing for IBM

IBM, or other Vendor, Hardware and Software users may not be immune to Oracle Java changes The short of it:  If you have downloaded a version of Java from java.com, it’s Oracle Java. Since January 2019, Oracle requires subscriptions for any updates, including security updates, for Oracle JDK.  Please refer to Miro’s previous blog post on Oracle’s announcement:  Java updates will require a Commercial License for Businesses after January 2019 In addition to Miro’s previous blog post, IBM made a […]

Oracle Licensing Guide 2019

Oracle Licensing Guide 2019 now available New York, NY – Miro is a leading global provider of software asset management and subscription management services for Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, and Salesforce.  We specialize in license management, audit advisory, negotiation tactics, support management, and cloud services. Miro Consulting has just released the 2019 version of its Oracle Licensing Guide, available for free here: http://p.miroconsulting.com/oracle-licensing-guide Due to changes in Oracle policies and rules, managing Oracle Licensing and maintaining compliance can prove challenging.  […]

Expiration of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Extended Support Reminder

Although this blog is a reprise, it is important to remember that SQL Server 2008 R2 and Windows 2008 R2 Extended Support is expiring soon.  SQL Server 2008 R2 Extended Support will expire on July 9, 2019 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Extended Support will expire on January 14, 2020.  Migration from both Windows and SQL Server can be time consuming and tie up resources that cannot always be pulled quickly from other projects.  As a result customers can often […]

Edge Computing

Oh no.  Is this even a concept or some ‘edgy’ buzzword? Oh no – Edge Computing is real. Think of Edge Computing as optimizing data processing at the edge of the Cloud network near its data source, rather than in a data center. Today about ‘10% of enterprise-generated data is created and processed outside a traditional centralized data center or cloud.  By 2025, Garnet predicts this figure will reach 75%’.* Is Edge Computing worth it? One needs to consider what […]

Amazon RDS for Oracle

Amazon has just made RDS data transfers easier and quicker. According to Amazon, starting February 26, 2019, Amazon Relational Database (RDS) for Oracle supports integration with Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) for data ingress and egress capabilities. Amazon Simple Storage Service is simply storage for the Internet. This new feature allows RDS Oracle customers to easily, efficiently, and securely transfer data between their RDS Oracle DB Instances and Amazon S3. With Amazon S3 Integration, you can perform data access to […]

Does IBM audit cloud?

There is a misconception that ‘IBM does not audit cloud’. This statement cannot be considered universal.  Cloud describes different services and cannot be simplified in such a fashion.  Let’s review what Cloud could be, and whether there is something to examine for licensing purposes. Software as a Service (SaaS) that is provided by IBM, such as IBM Analytics (Cognos), Bluemix, or API Connect.  IBM is aware of one’s usage of these software products because they host and invoice the client […]

Small & Medium Business Customers Will Now Purchase Azure Directly from Microsoft

Introduced just last month, the new Microsoft Customer Agreement (“MCA”) is designed to provide customers with an easier method of procuring Azure.  It effectively cuts out Microsoft partners from selling Azure and related products. According the Azure FAQ: “The new Azure experience will help meet the needs of customers who are looking for maximum control over their own Azure services and no longer need the level of administrative support included in the Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Azure-only Server and Cloud […]

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