How to Evolve IT Systems into Innovation Engines
When vendor-driven and customer-driven technology roadmaps are in close alignment, the results can be almost magical. Unfortunately, for most organizations that’s rarely the reality as they’re often left struggling to achieve innovation that their vendors are supposed to enable. IT leaders are all too familiar with this cycle: Up-and-coming vendors mature or get acquired and […]
New Survey: Why CIOs and CTOs Want a New Model for IT Support and Services
In April of 2023, Censuswide conducted a survey of 608 US respondents from companies with $250m+ revenue. That study focused on CIO and CTO satisfaction with their existing IT support and services models for enterprise software. The results spoke for themselves. Respondents voiced broad dissatisfaction with their support services and models, including issues with support […]
How IT Can Sustain Business Growth and Profitability Amid Economic Uncertainty
During most of 2023, business outlook has seemingly ping-ponged between fears of an economic recession and hopes that an almost mythical soft landing—a term some economists use to describe a mild recession with a slight increase in the unemployment rate—will tame inflation without causing negative growth that generally results in high rates of layoffs and […]
IT Hero: Cloud Migration Expert Mark Smith
When it comes to cloud migrations, failing to plan is planning to fail. That’s where Rimini Street expert engineers play a pivotal role, enabling and empowering hundreds of clients to build successful ERP cloud strategies. In this IT Hero profile, we showcase one such expert—Mark Smith, regional manager, Oracle support at Rimini Street—and discover how […]
What to do About SAP’s “My Way or the Highway” Cloud Push
The more SAP clarifies its cloud strategy, the murkier lies the future for those loyal customers on whose shoulders it built a leading ERP market share with on-premises solutions. The headline at IT Jungle succinctly summed up the one-two punch of recent SAP pronouncements: SAP Raises Costs, Slashes Innovation for On-Prem Software. The first blow […]
Dear SAP Support — I’ve Met Someone Else
I don’t think we should see each other anymore. It’s not you; it’s me. Actually, on second thought, it’s mostly you. Our relationship started as expected, but we’ve grown apart. We now want different things. Let me explain. You’ve changed It used to be that my annual maintenance fee got me support, maintenance, and new […]
With Oracle Sustaining Support, What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
Oracle claims their Lifetime Support Policy lets IT organizations “enjoy continued peace of mind,” but that may only hold true if you’re committed to staying current with major product releases. If your software version is five years or older, you’re more likely to feel you’re going out of your mind when you discover the true […]
Now Is Your Chance to Switch to Third-Party Support for SAP and Use the Savings to Accelerate Innovation
The end of September often comes abruptly for SAP customers struggling with the costs and restrictions inherent in the vendor’s support contracts. September 30, 2024 is the deadline for informing SAP that you are considering terminating those contracts for the coming calendar year. You can later choose to stay with SAP support, but if you […]
What is Oracle Sustaining Support? Breaking the Cycle of Eroding Oracle Support
Software support contracts generally do not age well. It seems to be part of the modern vendor playbook to discourage you from using your customized, paid for software, so they cut back on support services. Meanwhile, you’re expected to progressively pay more for less support. Worse, if you’re in this type of situation, you probably […]