After 25+ years working with Oracle databases, I've seen both sides of the support equation. Today I'm sharing insights on a decision many CIOs and IT leaders face: sticking with Oracle Support vs. exploring third-party alternatives like Rimini Street.

The Real Cost of Oracle Support

We all know the financial formula: approximately 20% of your initial license cost, every year, forever. But having spent years on the frontlines as an Oracle DBA, I've experienced the hidden costs that don't appear on the invoice:

You become their assistant: Ever feel like you're working for Oracle Support instead of them working for you? The endless requests for specific diagnostics, formatted exactly their way, can consume days of your time.

The troubleshooting waltz: One step at a time, please. Try this, report back. Now try that, report back again. The methodical approach has merit, but the lack of real-time collaboration extends resolution times dramatically.

Management pressure: "That's why we pay them so much!" How many times have you heard this when trying to solve problems internally instead of opening yet another SR?

What Oracle Support Does Right

Credit where it's due - Oracle Support remains the gold standard in many ways:

1. Powerful diagnostic tools that gather comprehensive system data. Oracle has invested heavily in creating purpose-built diagnostic utilities like ADRCI, OSWatcher, and the Support Workbench that provide deep visibility into database operations.
2. Source code access allowing their engineers to identify and patch root causes. When all else fails, Oracle engineers can dive into the actual code - something no third-party provider can do. For truly mysterious bugs, this becomes the ultimate advantage.
3. Vast historical knowledge from thousands of clients and millions of support cases. That SR you just opened? There's a good chance Oracle has seen something similar before. This institutional knowledge is invaluable and impossible to replicate.
4. Global coverage and scale with 24/7/365 support in multiple languages and a presence in virtually every market. No matter where your operations are located, Oracle can provide local support in your time zone and often in your language.

For mission-critical systems where downtime means millions in lost revenue, these advantages can be invaluable: they're the insurance policy many executives feel comfortable paying for.

The Third-Party Alternative: My Rimini Street Experience

Full disclosure: After years as an Oracle DBA, I had the opportunity to work as a support engineer at Rimini Street. The contrast was illuminating.

What you gain:

Significant cost savings - typically 50% or more off Oracle's annual support fees. For enterprises with large Oracle footprints, we're talking millions of dollars annually that can be redirected to innovation rather than maintenance.

Collaborative troubleshooting - direct meetings with engineers who work alongside your team. Almost every significant issue begins with a screen sharing session rather than email exchanges. This human-centric approach often leads to faster resolution times for complex problems.

Personalized support - dedicated resources who know your environment intimately. You'll work with the same engineers repeatedly, building relationships and environment familiarity that pays dividends over time. No more explaining your architecture from scratch with each new ticket.

Flexible SLAs - customized to your business requirements rather than one-size-fits-all policies. Critical issues genuinely receive critical attention, with senior engineers engaged from the start rather than after multiple escalations.

Extended support for older versions - no forced upgrades to maintain support coverage. If your stable Oracle 11g or 12c environment serves your needs perfectly, you can continue running it with full support indefinitely.

What you sacrifice:

The Limitations Boundary

It's important to acknowledge that there are scenarios where third-party support reaches its limits. Occasionally, the only solution is a new patch, which only Oracle, as the source code owner, can provide. This represents the fundamental trade-off in the third-party support model.

When evaluating support options, organizations should consider:

• Stability of Environment: Mature, stable Oracle implementations with fewer changes may be better candidates for third-party support.
• In-house Expertise: Organizations with strong internal Oracle expertise may be better positioned to work with third-party support.
• Update Requirements: If you need access to new Oracle versions and patches, official Oracle support remains necessary.
• Risk Tolerance: Some organizations, particularly in highly regulated industries, may have lower risk tolerance for potential support limitations.
• Budget Constraints: For organizations under significant cost pressure, the substantial savings from third-party support may outweigh the limitations.

Both Oracle's official support and third-party alternatives like Rimini Street offer viable options with distinct advantages and trade-offs. Oracle provides comprehensive support with access to all resources but at premium prices and with sometimes frustrating processes. Third-party support delivers significant cost savings and a more collaborative approach but with limitations on new patches and versions.

The optimal choice depends on your organization's specific circumstances, including database stability, budget constraints, and risk tolerance. Many organizations find that as their Oracle databases mature and stabilize, the value proposition of third-party support becomes increasingly attractive.

Regardless of which path you choose, understanding these differences allows you to make an informed decision that aligns with your organization's priorities and resources.

‍