Don't Let Oracle's Lawsuit Dissuade You From Considering 3SPs, But Recognize The Risks

Is Rimini Street's founder Seth Ravin a white knight riding to defend IT vendor managers against the rapacious dragons' inflexible, ever-increasing maintenance charges, or is he the heartless pirate, stealing the software vendor's hard-earned treasure? Regardless of which side of the moral debate they support, IT vendor managers want to know if independent support is a valid option. Now that some of the dust has settled, Forrester has researched if Oracle's legal action against its much smaller competitor affects companies using or considering third-party support providers (3SPs). The answer is "No," at least in the short term. The basic business model of software maintenance is good for all concerned. But vendor managers must first consider the risk of increased cost in the long term, if they have to buy more licenses at a later date, or if the 3SP is unable to deliver the required service level. If vendors like Rimini Street succeed in bringing choice to the software maintenance business, it will bring lower maintenance costs to all, even those who stay with the software publisher's program.