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With the end of 2023 fast approaching, it’s the perfect time for your organisation to reassess your Oracle and SAP software support strategy and make some positive changes in the New Year.
These are the five key questions you need to ask now.
Oracle and SAP are notorious for pushing their customers to upgrade to the latest version of their software and using their self-imposed support “deadlines” as a motivator to do so.
They’ll insist, if you don’t upgrade your systems to the latest version, that they’ll no longer be supported and therefore your organisation will not receive the latest security patches or fixes that are critical to business continuity.
How do you break this cycle? Independent Oracle and SAP third-party support, like the services provided by Support Revolution, provides support for all versions of your software, even if the vendor no longer supports them. (We continue to support customers on Oracle 8i Databases!)
If you’re happy with your old systems, and are not inclined to migrate them for the foreseeable future, or if you require support for systems temporarily while you migrate to the Cloud, you’re perfectly positioned for third-party support so you can break free from the constant need to upgrade your systems or face losing support for them.
Breaking the software upgrade cycle also allows you to decide if, and when, you upgrade your systems.
Staying with the vendor for your support ties you to their roadmap. They decide what systems will no longer receive support, and when your systems will fall out of support.
By moving to a support provider that supports all versions of your software and does not limit you to support or upgrade deadlines, you get to decide what you want to do with your systems, and when. They’re your systems, you should be able to decide what to do with them!
You’ll also avoid any nasty unforeseen budget surprises like certain U.K. councils this year.
Once you’re ready to move your support, Support Revolution has an in-house transition team that will work with you to figure out the best approach. You’ll have a single point of contact who will set up a kick-off meeting to discuss your requirements and introduce you to the wider transition team.
No other support provider offers this tailored transition support.
Oracle releases critical patch updates quarterly, and SAP releases software corrections on the second Tuesday of every month titled ‘SAP Security Patch Day’.
But these are generic security patches. As an Oracle and SAP customer, you’re at the mercy of whatever patches the vendor decides to release. It might not even release a fix for an issue you’ve been waiting to have resolved for months. This isn’t good enough for an issue that could affect the continuity of your organisation.
Unlike vendor patches, Support Revolution doesn’t provide generic patches. Our security development is bespoke. We tailor patches for each organisation’s system configuration.
Support should be about establishing a ‘patching partnership’ guided by the customer’s needs and not left to the mercy of whatever patches the vendor decides to provide.
Licensing audits will be a constant concern for any Oracle and SAP customer.
At any point the vendor could subject you to an audit that could cost your organisation a small fortune and throw your IT budget into the wind.
When you move your support to Support Revolution, not only are your systems now supported no matter the software version, but we’ll also work with you to remove any licenses you no longer use. In doing so, we’ll reduce your support accordingly; we won’t charge you for support on licenses you no longer use (unlike the vendor!).
By removing the number of licenses you have under support with us, you’ll reduce your software footprint. The smaller your footprint, the less likely you are to fall into the crosshairs of its licensing audit teams.
And of course, if you no longer have a software support contract with the vendor, you are not on their renewal radar and reduce the odds of being targeted for an audit.
Your current Oracle and SAP support does not guarantee a resolution time for any issues you raise. The best they can offer is response times ─ this isn’t that helpful.
This is quite alarming given that an issue could range from a minor patch to a major security flaw. This is something you need to have resolved quickly.
Support Revolution guarantees to get your systems back up and running within two hours under our strict SLA.
No customer should be left wondering when, and if, they’ll receive an answer for a business-critical issue they’ve raised with their support partner.
If your organisation has asked even one of these questions during the last year, then you’ll want to speak to one of Support Revolution’s experts on how you can take back control of your software roadmap in 2024.
The cherry on the support cake? You’ll save at least 50% on the last support bill you paid to Oracle and SAP. In some cases, organisations have saved up to 90% on the cost of their support by moving to us!
Ready to start 2024 on your terms and not be guided by the vendor’s deadlines and audit threats?
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