McCormick reduces licensing renewal by 84%

project results

• $420,000 savings (84% reduction from initial Oracle invoice)
• Complete analysis on Oracle Java usage & data
• Review of contracts & agreements with related vendors
• Recommendations included licensing, agreements & resellers

how we engaged

Understandably, McCormick wanted to minimise this liability. After some extensive research Synyega was selected for support to measure Java usage and reduce the cost liability as much as possible. Synyega was selected because of its impressive track record in dealing with Oracle and the knowledge and expertise within its team.

our solution

Our team had to overcome several challenges before optimising and reducing the licensing costs could be attempted. The first challenge faced by our team was determining what data was relevant for the licence review, this can involve configuration management or inventory tools like Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). An additional challenge stemmed from employees working from home due to the pandemic, which made the capture of accurate data more complicated.

Also, our team was challenged to understand how other vendors in the client’s estate treated the Java components used by their own software. This involved a review of the contractual agreements and the support status for third-party software used by the client.

Our team of Oracle experts collected Java usage data from a mix of sources to capture Java component and versioning information. That information was collated and matched with older SCCM and Configuration Management Database (CMDB) reports to create a baseline position. Maintaining accurate baseline data is important and puts our clients in a position of strength in compliance disputes, so it’s critical to keep it up to date.

working with the client

Synyega applied the Java methodology to the baseline report by reviewing the licensing impact based on a number of criteria: Java versioning, Java components, the vendor applications using the components and Java patch updates. A final step was to review the Java support status of the client’s application vendor, alternative Java distributions options and Java security obligations. The team worked closely with key stakeholders at McCormick to ensure close alignment, complete accuracy and delivery of optimal outcomes.

client benefits

Our holistic review of the Java elements deployed on the end-user estate meant that licence requirements for a third of the devices could be removed. This was because their licence requirements were already covered by existing licences from other major vendors, such as Oracle and SAP.

Finally, Synyega identified that the client could save $380k by reverting to Named User Plus licensing on the remaining devices, an additional $40k could be saved by moving to an alternative Java distribution.