Software giant Oracle is to produce a customer guide to explain the
complexities of its licensing system.
The Software Investment Guide, due in August, results from
discussions between Oracle and its customers about licensing
problems. Some of these result from the new ways of deploying the
company's 9i database and 11i e-business suites, with the
introduction of real application clustering, hosted solutions and
back-up servers, said Oracle product marketing manager Chris Ward.
Other problems arise from older licensing deals struck when Oracle
was chasing for business in its early days, which need to be
reappraised when systems are upgraded.
Ronan Miles, chairman of the UK Oracle User Group, said, "There is
an element of sympathy for Oracle because some of the older
licences were one-offs, written by the salesperson and offering
some astonishingly favourable terms, which means that Oracle is
losing money on these deals."
Miles said discussions with Jacqueline Woods, Oracle's
vice-president for global pricing and licensing strategy, showed
that some customers had not been given the best deal. This led to
the publishing of the guide.
Ward admits that there has been a degree of confusion but added
that, "Oracle wants to prove that there are no skeletons in the
cupboard. We are an ethical company and we want to be fair in our
licensing."