In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be posting a series of articles on Oracle’s Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). The “Gen 2” OCI is Oracle’s definitive platform for key IaaS and PaaS services around compute, database, storage and other key infrastructure services. We will look at the the key service offerings, review the relevant Oracle license documents and terms to accurately assess cost and utilization implications, and objectively assess OCI as an option for Oracle’s existing customers.
If you have read any of my previous writings on Oracle as a company overall, you may conclude that I have a negative bias against Oracle. That’s certainly not the case – Oracle’s technology is still loved by many of our clients. It’s the commercial side of pricing and contracts that generates angst and ill will towards Oracle. The infamous Oracle Support Policy which does not allow customers to easily lower Support spend even when usage has declined, the aggressive audit procedures, and a litany of other issues not related to the technology itself seem to drive the negative sentiment among our clients.
Following my research into OCI – which is still going on – I have come to believe that OCI can be a compelling proposition for existing Oracle customers. While there are important pitfalls to be aware of when it comes to agreement terms and pricing details, as well as some technical aspects, it certainly appears that OCI has been thought through to provide a seamless move to the cloud for existing Oracle customers.
In the next few articles, I will review the key OCI service offerings, and highlight the good, the bad, and the in-between. For starters, I suggest readers listen to this interview of Salman Paracha, GVP of Cloud Engineering at Oracle. The interview was done by Corey Quinn as part of the Software Engineering Daily podcast. I found Mr. Paracha’s approach and tone to be refreshing, and appreciated Mr. Paracha’s frankness in answering some important questions about OCI. I found it very insightful and hope you will too.
Stay tuned for more articles on OCI.
Corey Quinn is guest hosting on Software Engineering Daily this week, presenting a Tour of the Cloud. Corey Quinn is the Chief Cloud Economist at The Duckbill Group, where he helps companies fix their AWS bill by making it smaller and less horrifying. If you’re looking to lower your AWS bill or negotiate a new … Continue reading
I specialize in software licensing, IT cost management, and spend optimization. I help clients get the most value out of their IT investments while managing compliance risks. My career began at Deloitte & Touche LLP in the San Francisco/San Jose area, where I developed expertise in software license management around IBM, HP, Microsoft and other software vendors. I also assisted with SOX audits and business/IT controls. Later, I joined Oracle’s License Management Servers (LMS) group, performing license audits and contributing to the development of audit tools and methodologies.
