Software licensing is both remarkably simple and immeasurably complex. Just like Calculus can be broken down into elementary steps, so too licensing is simple math stacked up over decades of disparate metrics and contractual terms. The bad news is that customers are contractually bound to compliance, and Oracle is empowered to throw the book at defiant misuse of its software.

On the one hand, software entitlement is the science of understanding quantities, contractual terms and policies. On the other hand, licensing is an art that necessitates skillful use of timing, negotiation and knowledge of Oracle’s internal culture. Simply stated, your leverage is dependent on knowing what is licensed and deployed, the gaps therein and an appropriate balance between the art and science of compliance.