Palisade Compliance
Ensuring Compliance with Oracle Contracts

In recent years, Oracle has increasingly leveraged software audits as a means to increase revenue. Enterprise that are not in compliance, end up paying hefty fees. To avoid such scenarios, companies often seek the help of software vendors and authorized resellers, but this tends to put companies in a worse financial position. “Auditing of Oracle software licenses is tremendously complex and fraught with risks. The wrong move could end up costing a company millions of dollars in unnecessary fees,” says CraigGuarente, Founder and CEO, Palisade Compliance. “We help firms overcome this complexity by providing the expert advice and analysis to manage their Oracle licenses.” Palisade is a consulting firm that is well versed in contractual and licensing advisory services to ensure companies stay compliant with Oracle’s rules.

Palisade helps companies that are being audited by Oracle through the Palisade Audit Intervention services. When customers receive the audit letter, they are not aware of their options. Palisade aids companies respond to letters and reports, and also gives insights on the processes, features, and other measures that should be incorporated into their defense. “Oracle’s audit process is designed to benefit Oracle. It is not open and transparent. Imagine you were being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Would you give the IRS access to all your books, put that in a black box, and have them tell you how much you owe the government? Of course not. But that’s exactly what Oracle wants companies to do,” says Guarente.

Compliance Assurance is another Palisade service. Compliance Assurance is for businesses who are not under an Oracle Audit. These companies often have many Oracle contracts and spend significantly on support maintenance. They want to reduce their costs and rationalize their contracts so that they can save money and reduce risks. “Many companies have been buying Oracle products for 20 years. They feel their Oracle spend is out of control and they want to get a handle on that. We help our clients achieve these goals by analyzing their contracts and their usage. We give them a scorecard and help them build a roadmap,” says Guarente.

Would you give the IRS access to all your books, put that in a black box, and have them tell you how much you owe the government? Of course not. But that’s exactly what Oracle wants companies to do

Finally, Palisade offers contract negotiation and management services for all Oracle contracts, including Oracle’s Unlimited License Agreement (ULA). “Oracle’s favorite license agreement is the ULA. There is a reason for that. It’s very profitable for Oracle. Palisade can help our clients negotiate a better ULA, manage that ULA during the contract term, and exit the ULA from a position of strength,” says Guarente.

Palisade stresses their independence, Oracle focus, and experience. “We only help our clients with Oracle problems. Our entire delivery team is ex-Oracle audit or contracts. I’m proud to say we are not an Oracle reseller and make no money from selling more Oracle. Our only goal is to help our customers achieve their goals,” says Guarente. Before founding Palisade Compliance Guarente spent over 15 years at Oracle where he was the Global Vice President of Oracle’s contracts and business practices teams. Guarente was also Oracle’s global process owner for software license audits. This level of experience is what separates Palisade Compliance from other companies.

In four short years many companies have benefited from Palisade’s services and analysis. Palisade’s deep expertise in the areas of contracting, licensing, and auditing is the reason behind the firm’s unique recognition in the licensing audit market. “We all grew up at Oracle and now we’re on the other side of the table helping our clients,” shares Guarente. Palisade is expanding its services in the Oracle licensing market globally.