About Oralce ULA

What is an Oracle ULA?

An Oracle Unlimited License Agreement (ULA) is an arrangement in which an enterprise pays a single up-front fee to get as many licenses as they want for a specified set of Oracle products over a fixed time frame.

The most common ULA term is three years. At the end of that period, the enterprise must provide Oracle with documentation detailing the deployment of all Oracle products used. Oracle processes this information to determine the number of regular licenses to grant. For enterprises that grow during the prescribed time frame, the ULA can offer considerable cost savings compared with purchasing individual licenses up front. However, if the organization downsizes during the ULA term, it may end up overpaying for the licenses that it actually purchases in the end.

The issue of whether or not an Oracle ULA actually provides any overall benefit has given rise to controversy. The advantages of the ULA are cost savings, convenience, and simplicity. The agreements work best for companies that expect growth through normal business operations rather than through mergers and acquisitions. Oracle shops can get an array of Oracle products bundled together under one agreement and one bill, rather than a mishmash of complex licensing agreements for each product.

The drawbacks are "putting all eggs in one basket" and the need to negotiate intelligently and aggressively for favorable terms. Depending on the language in the contract, the ULA might not apply in certain situations that a careless enterprise fails to foresee, in which case the ULA does not in fact turn out to be truly unlimited in the long term.

Oracle ULA's are becoming increasingly popular as many companies believe they are the answer to their licensing needs. However Oracle ULA's can sometimes be more beneficial to the vendor than the customer – and that's why it can pay to get expert advice before signing on the dotted line.

Vendors favor ULA's because they usually have a minimum entry level, meaning that the ULA is a sizeable deal. Plus, because the customer will be aiming to make the most of the deal, they will automatically favor the vendor's products over those of the competition.

What you need to know about Oracle ULAs

Of course, Oracle ULA's have benefits for both parties, for instance; if your company is growing however you are unsure of your projected usage, you may find that an Oracle ULA will enable you to simplify your Oracle contracts and support renewals as everything will be on one contract. This type of agreement is also useful for companies who are growing organically or have purchased licenses ad hoc over a number of years.

However, whilst an Oracle ULA can simplify things, they can also be complicated to negotiate, manage and declare, which is where ST Tech Inc's Oracle expertise can pay dividends. Our ST Tech Oracle License service can help you with;

The Service provided by the ST Tech team covers three areas:

• Increasing the knowledge of products within the ULA : ensuring the products are used effectively can greatly increase your return on investment. In order to achieve this the ST Tech team of experts provide training workshops, skills transfer courses and information on Oracle Engagements.
• Increasing the deployment of ULA products: this includes both introducing Oracle products into existing environments and identifying where the products will make the most benefit. In this way we are able to ensure that the ULA products that are deployed will be of benefit to your business.
• Monitoring ULA usage: ST Tech manage the deployment of products throughout your organisations' ULA contract. We also provide annual reports enabling you to quantify the benefit/costs of the ULA allowing you to see exactly what difference it is making to your company.

ST Tech Inc. – the Oracle ULA experts

In short, ST Tech can help you make an informed decision about whether an Oracle ULA is right for you and if it is, help you achieve the best possible value.

For More Details, Contact ST TECH INC today 1-800-577-6708 ext:201, to learn more about how our services can help you address your Oracle License Management and Audit needs. Alternatively fill out our contact form and we'll come back to you.