From Risk to Room to Grow: How a UK Professional-Services Firm Closed a $17 Million Oracle Exposure and Gained a 40 % Licence Cushion
Who They Are
- Sector: Consulting, tax, and legal services
- Headquarters: London, UK
- People: ~35 000 staff in 40+ countries
- Oracle Agreement: Three-year “all-you-can-eat” Unlimited Licence Agreement (ULA) about to expire
The Situation
As the contract’s end date approached, finance uncovered a problem:
- Hidden exposure. Because teams could launch new systems on demand, no one knew exactly how many Oracle products were running. Early estimates showed the bill could top $17 million if Oracle challenged its usage.
- Time pressure. Oracle hinted that any shortfall would mean a steep “true-up” payment or a fresh multi-year ULA.
- Growth plans. The business still needed headroom for new projects without paying for licences twice.
The board’s clear directive was to prove we’re compliant, avoid extra spending, and keep enough licences for future growth.
What We Did (In Plain English)
- Found the Facts
- Deployed automated discovery tools that scanned every office, data centre, and cloud account.
- Produced the first company-wide picture of Oracle usage—something they’d never had before.
- Sized the Risk
- Each installation was matched against the wording of their 2018 ULA.
- Calculated best- and worst-case licence positions. The gap was $17 million if left unchecked.
- Fixed the Numbers
- Worked with regional IT leaders to retire or reassign low-value systems.
- Aligned remaining servers with terms the contract already allowed—no new software, just smarter placement.
- Tracked every change so the audit trail was watertight.
- Negotiated from Strength
- Presented Oracle with a single, unambiguous inventory signed off by the CFO.
- Anchored every conversation to the contract text—not later policy updates—removing room for surprise charges.
- Kept all dialogue through one point of contact so Oracle couldn’t “divide and conquer.”
The Results
| Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Exposure eliminated | $17 million risk → $0 |
| Licence headroom | -14 % deficit → +40 % surplus (enough for five years of growth) |
| Extra paid to Oracle | Nothing |
| Certification timing | Signed off 27 days before deadline—no rush fees, no audit |
Why It Worked
- Single source of truth – With one definitive licence picture, debate turned into agreement.
- Contract focus – Sticking to what was signed kept negotiations on solid ground.
- Unified front – Finance, legal, and IT spoke to Oracle with one voice, preventing last-minute pressure.
- Future-proofing – The discovery tools run continuously, so the next audit starts from clarity, not chaos.
Executive Reflection
“We turned a multi-million-pound threat into a comfortable surplus without cutting back on innovation. Clear data and a united negotiating stance were game-changers.”
— Group CIO
Need to understand your own Oracle risk―without diving into server jargon? We can help you get the facts, protect your budget, and leave room to grow.
