[Info-vax] HPE change elapsed support contracts T&Cs

[Kerry Main]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Info-vax [mailto:info-vax-bounces at rbnsn.com] On Behalf
> Of Simon Clubley via Info-vax
> Sent: 02-Nov-16 10:02 AM
> To: info-vax at rbnsn.com
> Cc: Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-
> Earth.UFP>
> Subject: [Info-vax] HPE change elapsed support contracts T&Cs
> 
> Also seen on The Register:
> 
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/01/hpe_crawling_back_f
> or_software_support_eh_itll_cost_you/
> 
> Quote:
> 
> |Companies who wish to renew support contracts that expired
> less than a
> |year ago can still reactivate their deal, but they will have
to pay
> the
> |support costs from the entire time their deal has been lapsed
as
> well
> |as a 50 per cent "reactivation" charge. That offer had also
> previously
> |applied to contracts longer than one year, but is no longer
valid
> as of November 1.
> |
> |The hefty charges to reinstate support are not particularly
> unusual.
> |Fellow enterprise software giant IBM warns that its
> reinstatement costs
> |can add up to three times the original support fees, while
Oracle
> |requires customers pay lapsed support fees as well as 150 per
> cent
> |their last annual charge to reinstate a support contract.
> 
> Simon.
> 
>

This type of vendor locking support policies absolutely drives
Customers crazy!!

About the only other vendor policy that is hated more is the 5
digit per core pricing policies of the big vendors like IBM,
Oracle etc. 

As example, Oracle DB Enterprise is list price USD $47,000/core +
15+% annual mandatory support + 50% extra per core if using RAC *
Oracle Core Processor Factor.

During a big DC migration last year I did last, one of the big
move group projects was a big SOA Solaris SPARC environment that
used Oracle DB, Oracle Weblogic. We moved the workloads (not
physical servers) as is with only small changes. However, the
Customers next generation environment is already being designed
and built without Oracle DB or Oracle Solaris or Oracle
middleware products.  Short term $ gain, long term disaster.

I still maintain that while the last 10 years was about reducing
HW costs, the next 10 years will be all about reducing software
costs and being easier to do business with.

HPE is simply following Oracle and Microsoft in a race to the
bottom of preferred vendors.

Regards,

Kerry Main
Kerry dot main at starkgaming dot com