Recently, we advised on dealing with SAP self-declaration audits, and how organisations can better position themselves before their vendor launches their audit.
But what if you’ve already faced an audit?
It’s tough to know where to start, and what to do after such an ordeal. You’ll have spent time and energy preparing and reacting to the audit, and may now be facing a large fine. But while it may not seem like it at the time, there is an easy way back.
First of all, what should you expect at the end of an Oracle/SAP audit? The battle’s over. The smoke clears. What have Oracle/SAP left behind?
It’s time to regroup, see what the damage is, and plan how to rebuild.
If your self-declaration doesn’t match up to Oracle/SAP’s records and you are deemed to be non-compliant, then the vendors will impose a fine against your organisation.
Don’t feel too guilty if you are. It’s possible the fine wasn’t even your fault. Vendor contracts are, by nature, vague and difficult to understand. Oracle are notorious for delivering software with all functionality enabled by default. It’s up to the customers to disable what they don’t need or use, but Oracle don’t tell them that. Then when the audit comes around, the customers are already trapped.
Alternatively, Oracle and SAP have been known to waive the fine if you choose to purchase their suggested additional product. Say, for example, Oracle impose a 500k fine from a recent audit. They will give you the option of buying 500k worth of Oracle Cloud instead.
It’s a dirty trick of theirs. In principle it sounds generous – you make a 500k purchase rather than lose 500k in fines – but it can still see your organisation paying excessive amounts of money for software you didn’t need or even want in the first place.
This may seem like a fair compromise, but really, it’s your vendor padding their Cloud sales figures.
Whether you’re fined or forced towards unwanted purchases, the damage is done. Aggressive tactics and costly audits are hardly going to put Oracle or SAP on your next Christmas card list.
But the worst insult slapped on top? You’re still paying their support fees, contributing to the majority of their profit margin. The “winners,” so to speak, keep on winning.
But this is the necessary evil of dealing with SAP and Oracle, right? Or is there another way?
Oracle and SAP would undoubtedly like to think of themselves as unbeatable. They can raise an audit, get a fine or product sale, and leave again. Onto the next targeted organisation.
They may have won the battle – but we’re stopping them from winning the war. Here at Support Revolution, we have the means to help you recover from the audit and turn Oracle/SAP’s victory into an overall loss.
Oracle/SAP fined you and left a gaping hole in your IT budget. We can help fill in the gaps. Switching to our third-party support will immediately cut your vendor support bill by at least 50%, making huge savings in-year.
In very little time you can recover the budget you lost to the fine and reinvest it back into your savings (or possibly towards switching to another vendor…). This is an annual saving, meaning you don’t just recover the costs this year, but every year you stay with Support Revolution.
Finally, and unlike Oracle/SAP, we won’t audit you. We’re here to reduce your maintenance fees, free up some IT budget, and provide a far better level of service while we do it. We offer SLAs on issue response and resolution times, and we provide your legislative and security patches in much less time, too.
But the best bit? You’re off their support model, no longer paying their extortionate maintenance fees or being told to upgrade to latest versions or risk losing support. After their audit, you get to deny them that income, and you’re investing in your own future, not theirs.
An Oracle/SAP audit isn’t the be-all-and-end-all you might think. It is, admittedly, a tough and challenging process. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be as challenging, with the knowledge there are people like us, ready to help you recover and rebuild once the battle’s done.
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