A Rimini Street White Paper. Why Oracle E-Business Suite Payroll Customers Choose Independent Support

Transcription

1 A White Paper Why Oracle E-Business Suite Payroll Customers Choose Independent Support

2 About, Inc. is the global leader in providing independent enterprise software support services. The company has redefined enterprise support services since 2005 with an innovative, award-winning program that enables Oracle and SAP licensees to save up to 90 percent on total support costs. Clients can remain on their current software release without any required upgrades for at least 15 years. Over 1000 global, Fortune 500, midmarket, and public sector organizations from a broad range of industries have selected as their trusted, independent support provider. and the logo are trademarks of, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright All rights reserved. LT-US

3 Contents Executive Summary...3 Support Options for E-Business Suite Payroll...4 Oracle Lifetime Support Policy...4 The Future: Fusion Applications...4 Options for Your Strategic Roadmap...5 But How Can You Stay Compliant?...6 E-Business Suite Customers Have Strategic Decisions to Make...6 Analysis by E-Business Suite Release...7 Upgrading May Not Deliver Business Value to Justify the Cost...7 E-Business Suite 11i10 Customers...8 E-Business Suite 12.0 Customers...9 E-Business Suite 12.1 Customers...10 Next Steps: You Have a Choice of Annual Support Providers Your E-Business Suite Release Strategy Options with Oracle A Better Option: E-Business Suite Licensees Realize Value with Recommendations for E-Business Suite Licensees

4 Executive Summary Your Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) software is mature and stable and more than supports your business requirements. But a significant pain point for many EBS customers is the total cost of ownership of their software including the high cost of operating, maintaining and upgrading their applications. In addition to the high total cost of maintenance, E-Business Suite licensees must assess and address several important issues related to their EBS applications, including the uncertainty of future EBS product roadmaps, a potential forced march to Fusion applications, and changes in support for some EBS releases. The urgency is growing for EBS licensees to make critical decisions for their EBS strategy: To upgrade or not to upgrade? To stay with current EBS releases? To move towards new Fusion applications as they become available? To explore other next-generation ERP and CRM platforms? To remain on expensive vendor support that delivers questionable value to the customer but more than 90 percent margins to the software vendor? This white paper surveys the state of E-Business Suite applications today, analyzes the strategic road map ahead for customers using EBS under Oracle annual support, and concludes with actionable recommendations for EBS licensees. Major points: Today s EBS releases can run your business operations for the next decade and beyond. There is limited ROI in upgrading today s feature-rich EBS software releases. You can save millions of dollars by leveraging independent support to avoid expensive upgrades and reduce maintenance fees and related costs. Independent support helps you reduce risk and avoid vendor lock-in keeping your options open for future next-generation systems. To maintain compliance within your organization s business processes, you need to ensure that the appropriate tax, legal and regulatory updates are consistently and correctly applied to your ERP system. Independent support from replaces Oracle annual support for your EBS system, enabling you to save 50 percent on annual support fees and up to 90 percent on your total cost of maintenance, including the avoidance of expensive forced upgrades and support for your customized code. E-Business Suite licensees are choosing independent support from for substantial cost savings, guaranteed ultra-responsive support, premium 3

5 features, and reduced risk and because today, hundreds of world-class organizations have already validated that independent support is a proven option. Support Options for E-Business Suite Payroll Oracle Lifetime Support Policy Oracle has standardized its support policies across its many different organically developed as well as acquired application product lines. This policy is known today as the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy, which sets consistent support policies, prices and timelines for most Oracle products. While standardization has its benefits, many Oracle customers report to that Oracle is reluctant to negotiate any exceptions to or deviations from its standard Lifetime Support Policy. Oracle s standard Lifetime Support Policy has three phases: Premier Support Oracle s standard support, typically lasting for five years from general availability (GA) at a cost of 22 percent of your license fee, often with annual increases with each renewal. Extended Support Increased pricing of an additional 10 percent in Year 1, plus an additional 20 percent in Years 2 and 3; limited bug fixes, with less commitment to interoperability updates and thirdparty platform certifications; lasts for three years following the end of Premier Support. Extended Support is not always offered. Only 5% of Oracle Customers Surveyed Currently Plan to Use Fusion Applications Respondents Cited No Strong Business Case to Move to Fusion, Oracle Applications Strategies for 2015 and Beyond, September 2014 Sustaining Support No new fixes or tax, legal and regulatory updates; lasts indefinitely. Cost is 22 percent of your license fee; Sustaining Support is not always offered. This is a huge problem for Oracle EBS customers who must maintain compliance. The Future: Fusion Applications Fusion is Oracle s next-generation suite of business applications. Oracle has been making announcements about Fusion and its progress ever since around the time it acquired PeopleSoft in 2005, and Oracle s ever-shifting timelines have been a source of frustration, making it difficult for EBS customers to make concrete plans and choices. The reality is that it could be 3 8 years, or even more, before the full Fusion suite is complete. Key points to think about when considering what Fusion means to your organization: 1. Major cost outlays Fusion is not free just because you have E-Business Suite licenses. 2. Fusion is not complete Fusion will not fully replicate current software capabilities for years, and it may take years for Fusion to 4

6 become stable. The initial version is far from complete, with functional gaps, and the future roadmap is murky. The combination of Fusion s incompleteness and instability has analysts saying it could be at least 3 8 years before Fusion will be ready for most customers. 3. Deployment: Fusion will essentially be a full reimplementation Everything changes with Fusion: everything has been rewritten with a new technology stack, data models, process flows and so on. Analysts caution that you need to budget for an entirely new implementation of the suite. Options for Your Strategic Roadmap Oracle has been outlining a set of co-existence options for IT leaders looking at Fusion and planning their enterprise application road maps. 1 Translation: in our opinion, Oracle has been outlining a plan for getting you to Fusion. We summarize your options with Oracle here, and introduce a different option: Support. At the end of this white paper we will return to this table with further analysis and commentary: Oracle Options for You Minimize Changes Stay Current Embrace Fusion Description Continue running your current releases for as long as support windows allow. If you don t upgrade your EBS applications you may incur expensive Extended Support fees; or, if your release moves to Sustaining Support, you run the risk of new issues negatively impacting your EBS system. Upgrade to the latest release of your EBS product. This keeps you in the Premier Support window. Move forward to Fusion as soon as possible, adopting a co-existence strategy. Implement new Fusion modules and pillars as they become available. Choice for You Maximize the Value of Your Current EBS Release via Independent Support Description With you can remain on your current software release without any required upgrades for the next decade and beyond. Save 50 percent on annual support fees, avoid expensive upgrades and receive more responsive, relevant support for your EBS applications. 1 Alan Joch, Oracle Fusion Applications: Changing the Game, products/applications/fusion/fusion-changing-the-game pdf. 5

7 But How Can You Stay Compliant? Tax, legal and regulatory updates permeate many organizations ERP platforms. Sales, finance, and of course human resources require constant updating to maintain compliance with a wide variety of government agencies. In particular, companies running EBS Payroll are dependent on Oracle or a third-party to provide payroll regulatory tax updates at the federal, state and local levels which for the US include: Pittsburgh Public Schools is very pleased with the timeliness, accuracy, and quality of the tax and regulatory updates we receive from. We rely on and are very confident in s extensive experience in building and supporting tax and regulatory updates. We couldn t be happier with our decision to transition support to. Director of Application Development, Pittsburgh Public School District 1. Tax rate changes 2. Classification, geocode and other code revisions 3. Legislative updates 4. Tax filing and year-end reporting However, in order to continue to receive these updates and reporting from Oracle, companies must stay on Premium or Extended Support. This will require, for many, a forced upgrade to avoid the termination of these updates in Oracle Sustaining Support (along with many other support reductions). Many EBS customers are satisfied with their existing release or simply cannot afford the cost and distraction of an upgrade. They would prefer not to upgrade, yet most believe that the choice is out of their hands because tax, legal and regulatory updates are critical to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing. A forced upgrade based on Oracle s timetable in order to maintain support appears to be the only alternative. Fortunately there are options including outsourcing payroll to a third party or selecting an independent software support to support the entire E-Business Suite application. You can continue to receive these crucial payroll updates and reporting, along with premium support from, without being forced to upgrade. E-Business Suite Customers Have Strategic Decisions to Make Going forward, you need to decide: To upgrade or not to upgrade? To stay with E-Business Suite, move towards Fusion, or explore other next-generation platforms? To remain on expensive vendor support that delivers questionable value, or to keep strategic options open and accrue funds incrementally towards innovative IT initiatives with savings from independent support? The remainder of this white paper is designed to give you information you need to help you make the best decisions for your business and derive the maximum possible value from the enormous investment you have already made in your EBS system. Let s look at possible strategic roadmaps for customers running specific EBS 11.x 12.x releases. 6

8 Analysis by E-Business Suite Release A recent Oracle Application User Group (OAUG) customer survey demonstrated that 73 percent of customers are upgrading just because support for their current release was ending not for new features or capabilities. OAUG Research Line, ERP Upgrades: What s Your Philosophy?, February, 2012 Upgrading May Not Deliver Business Value to Justify the Cost E-Business Suite Pre-11i10 Customers 2 Version GA Date Premier Extended Sustaining May 1999 Feb None Jan i July 2006 None Indefinite 11i7 May 2002 May 2007 None Indefinite 11i8 Nov Nov None Indefinite 11i9 June 2003 June 2008 None Indefinite Some, though not many customers remain on releases that predate EBS 11i10: EBS and 11i1-9. EBS is old software from pre-y2k; Oracle offers nothing here, not even Sustaining Support. Almost no customers remain on 11i1-6. EBS is somewhat more widely used, but all in all relatively few customers remain on these releases and it s been several years since Oracle issued fixes and tax, legal and regulatory compliance updates. Important points for customers on EBS 11i9 and earlier: This is 12 year old software and you are limited to limited to Sustaining Support. Twenty-two percent of your original license fees for a support offering that doesn t provide compliance updates or even attempt to fix your issues is very expensive. Your upgrade options involve significant effort and cost: Because the later EBS technology stack is very different, upgrading to EBS 12.1 is at least a two-step process: for example, 11i9 to 12.0 and then 12.0 to If you upgrade you will most likely lose your customizations. The business value of EBS R12 is probably not compelling for you, or you would have likely already upgraded by now. There is no direct upgrade to Fusion. Essentially, EBS pre-11i10 customers have these options: 1. Continue to pay 22 percent for very limited support as you wait for Fusion to be finished (and when it is finished, getting there from where you are now will be a potentially massive effort comparable to a complete reimplementation). 2. Upgrade to EBS R12 in a complicated, expensive process that could tie up your IT team for months. 2 All release and support dates in this white paper are based on Oracle Corporation, Oracle Information-Driven Support: Oracle Lifetime Support Policy, Oracle Applications, Sept,

9 3. Switch to independent support Support includes one-off fixes, all compliance updates regardless of your release, and support for your customizations. With you retain the option of upgrading to R12 at a later date but you ll upgrade only if and when it makes sense for your business, not just because you need to remain in compliance and upgrading is high on Oracle s agenda for your strategic roadmap. E-Business Suite 11i10 Customers Version GA Date Premier Extended Sustaining 11i10 Nov Nov Nov Indefinite EBS 11i10 is likely more widely adopted than any other EBS release. Most 11i10 customers are now considering their options. EBS 11i10 is already in Sustaining Support but with an extension that ends in 2014 for payroll updates, along with tax, legal and regulatory compliance updates. Important points for EBS 11i10 customers: You will not receive payroll updates or year-end reporting for Upgrading to 12.x from 11i10 is a costly, complex process and will probably not deliver the business value to justify the cost. Essentially, EBS 11i10 customers have these options: Stay on Sustaining Support and wait for Fusion to be finished (but be aware that when Fusion is finished, getting there from 11i10 will be a massive effort comparable to a complete reimplementation). Upgrade to EBS 12.x in a complicated, expensive process that could tie up your IT team for months. In the meantime you will not receive your updates for Switch to independent support Save 50 percent on your current annual support fees and remain on 11i10 for as long as you wish five, ten years or more. Support includes one-off fixes, all compliance updates including payroll, and support for your customizations. With you retain the option of upgrading to 12 at a later date but you ll upgrade only if and when it makes sense for your business, not just because Oracle has an agenda and timelines it wants you to follow. If you are running EBS 11i10 you are well suited to take advantage of independent maintenance. With 11i10 you are enjoying the culmination of 20 years of business application development by Oracle. It s installed and working for you; in our opinion, an upgrade to EBS 12 is unlikely to give you real business ROI. 8

10 E-Business Suite 12.0 Customers Version GA Date Premier Extended Sustaining 12.0 Jan Jan Jan Indefinite E-Business Suite 12.0 Customers Many of the early adopters of EBS 12 remain on EBS 12.0 will leave Extended Support in January, 2015, so you will stop receiving your payroll updates in 2015 along with other tax, legal and regulatory updates. If you are on 12.0, you were likely one of the earlier movers to this release and by now you ve probably been shuffled up to a later version through a number of highly recommended updates in order to get to a more stable version. Be aware that 12.1 may offer insufficient business value to justify the cost and effort of upgrading. Essentially, EBS 12.0 customers have these options: Stay on Sustaining Support and eventually migrate to Fusion hoping Oracle will improve its functionality and still you will not receive your Payroll updates during Upgrade to EBS 12.1 or 12.2 but be aware that there may be minimal business value in this upgrade. Switch to independent support Save 50 percent over your current annual support fees, and remain on 12.0 for as long as you wish five, ten years or more. Support includes one-off fixes, all compliance updates, and support for your customizations. With Rimini Street you retain the option of upgrading to 12.2 at a later date but you ll upgrade only if and when it makes sense for your business, not based on Oracle s agenda and timelines. E-Business Suite 12.1 Customers Version GA Date Premier Extended Sustaining 12.1 May 2009 Dec Dec Indefinite 12.1 Sept Sept Sept Indefinite EBS 12.1 will enter Extended Support in December Important points for 12.1 customers: You have already made a significant investment in getting to your current release level. EBS is a stable release that has been well adopted; it is unclear whether you can expect material enhancements from Oracle on top of , as the focus turns to Fusion. 9

11 Survey respondents cited Cost Prohibitive Upgrades (58%), Unclear Future Product Strategy (36%) and Possible Forced Migration to Oracle Fusion (32%) as the top three biggest concerns regarding Oracle s application strategy., Oracle Applications Strategies for 2015 and Beyond, September 2014 EBS 12.2 includes significant adoption of elements of the Fusion technology stack; this is part of Oracle s strategic plan of getting you to adopt its next-generation platform. Analysts say you can expect to incur significant middleware licensing and/or hardware costs. EBS 12.1 customers have already realized the majority of feature enhancements. You ve already spent significantly to get to 12.1, moving through upgrade after upgrade, staying current with Oracle s recommendations. You have until December 2016 on Premier Support. Essentially, EBS 12.1 customers have these options: Plan to migrate to Fusion incur significant costs and remain uncertain whether Fusion will be sufficiently complete and stable for you to be in production on Fusion by the end of Extended Support in May Upgrade to EBS 12.2 but be aware that: There may be minimal business value for you in this upgrade. You can expect to incur significant middleware/hardware costs. Switch to independent support save 50 percent over your current annual support fees, and remain on 12.1 for as long as you wish five, ten years or more. Support includes one-off fixes, all compliance updates, and support for your customizations. You can also upgrade to 12.2 at any time when it makes good business sense. 10

12 Next Steps: You Have a Choice of Annual Support Providers If you have a support renewal coming up, remember you have the choice. Mark Batrick, Gartner Blog, April 14, 2014 Your E-Business Suite Release Strategy Options with Oracle Let s return to Oracle s plan to migrate you to Fusion. In the following table we list your options if you remain with Oracle Support: Oracle Options for You Analysis Minimize Changes Pay full support pricing but get less support over time just to run your current stable releases for an extended time frame. Not upgrading to the latest EBS release may introduce extra cost for you in paying for Extended Support. If your release moves to Sustaining Support, you may be at risk if you encounter new issues, as the vendor does not address new issues at this level of support. Stay Current If you do follow Oracle s plan for you and upgrade, this keeps you in the Premier Support window; but you are on a constant upgrade treadmill, and the provable business value of EBS upgrades may get smaller and smaller for many licensees. Whether you upgrade or not, remaining on vendor support is an extremely high-cost option for you, while giving 90 percent profit margins to Oracle. Why keep paying expensive maintenance fees on an aging platform and funding a future platform you may never use or want? Embrace Fusion Coexistence with Fusion adding Fusion apps to your mix as they become available may involve high cost and risk. New architecture and platform = unknown and unproven. If you decide to coexist, you are essentially deciding you want to pay to migrate to Fusion before you have had a chance to assess the completed suite. And you still need to worry about the support timelines for any EBS applications you still run. Oracle s suggested coexistence strategy may be a risky, expensive path to vendor lock-in. 11

13 A Better Option: E-Business Suite Licensees Realize Value with Our decision to go with for our support needs was simple. They offered us a level of care at or above what we were currently seeing with EBS and Oracle at a fraction of the price. Jesse Mitchell, Wenger Manufacturing Hundreds of world-class organizations are saying No to Oracle s plans to migrate them to Fusion, and are exercising their right to select the annual support provider that best fits their needs and budget. Independent support from replaces your annual support program from the software vendor. provides all your needed bug fixes so you can continue to cost-effectively run your E-Business Suite applications for the next decade or longer with no required upgrades. EBS customers choose independent support from for: Substantial cost savings guaranteed savings of 50 percent over vendor annual support fees. Premium, relevant, cutting-edge service model guaranteed ultraresponsive support and premium features such as support for customizations, interoperability and performance tuning all at no additional cost. Greater strategic flexibility can help you avoid costly upgrades, extend the life of your current, stable EBS release, and reduce risk as you position yourself for the next proven technology platform. Ross Stores... decided that the money was better spent on opening new retail stores rather than upgrading an IT system that it didn t think needed upgrading. SearchOracle.com, Oracle President Mark Hurd: We don t set out to be hard to work with, April 10, 2013 Many organizations utilize independent support as a key aspect of their application strategy, using the savings from independent support to address real business problems around their EBS systems while evaluating new application platforms at their own measured, deliberate pace not according to the vendor s release timeline and agenda. If you, on the other hand, choose to move down the path of total commitment to the vendor now, you may be putting your future business options at risk. If you simply accept the vendor s road map for your IT future, you may incur substantial additional costs and lose most of your strategic flexibility, because you may find yourself inextricably enmeshed in the vendor s technology stack, applications and support programs for the foreseeable future. Recommendations for E-Business Suite Licensees Move to independent support Wait until Fusion is better defined and generally available, defer upgrades for now, save your maintenance fees and upgrade costs, and run your EBS apps with independent support from including your payroll updates. Maximize the value of current releases Extend the longevity of your established EBS applications and don t do an upgrade that has zero business value. Avoid forced upgrades due to vendor support timelines But know that you can upgrade to EBS 12 under Support if you wish. 12

14 Use your savings from independent support to address real business problems around your EBS system such as ongoing innovation and ever-changing business requirements. Do a thorough ROI study of Fusion, compare Fusion to other available solutions, and select the best next- generation system for your business once they have been fully built, deployed and tested. 13

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