Overview
An energy company based in Colorado with 15,000 employees faced an unexpected Oracle Java licensing exposure of $1.49 million annually. The company had deployed Java across multiple critical applications without fully realizing that Oracle’s per-employee licensing model applied to the entire workforce, regardless of actual usage.
Challenge
The company relied Java for grid management systems, real-time monitoring software, and internal business applications. Under Oracle’s updated subscription model, organizations with 10,000–20,000 employees must pay $8.25 per employee per month, leading to a compliance risk that threatened to add nearly $1.49 million in annual costs.
Following an internal audit, the company discovered it was unintentionally out of compliance, which posed a significant financial and operational risk.
Solution
The company engaged Redress Compliance to perform a comprehensive Java license review. The assessment identified several key opportunities for cost reduction:
✔ Migrating non-essential Java workloads to OpenJDK, reducing dependency on Oracle licenses.
✔ Removing unused Java installations, eliminating unnecessary licensing costs.
✔ Clarifying Oracle’s licensing terms, ensuring the company only paid for essential usage.
The company significantly reduced its Java-related financial exposure while maintaining compliance through these optimizations.
Outcome
With a proactive licensing strategy, the energy company successfully cut its Java-related costs by over 75%, turning what was initially a $1.49M exposure into a manageable and optimized expense.
Client Testimonial
“Oracle’s Java licensing changes caught us off guard, and the financial impact was concerning. Thanks to Redress Compliance, we now have a clear, cost-effective licensing strategy that keeps us compliant while significantly reducing our costs.”
— CFO, Energy Company in Colorado
