How to get the best deal from Oracle

Maintenance fees over time add up to far more than the initial cost of licenses, which are commonly discounted substantially off list price. Vendors prize maintenance fees, since they provide steady revenue even when new license sales are hard to find. This makes it difficult for clients to get vendors like Oracle to budge.

Overall, sales representatives have been pushing hardest on Fusion Middleware, BI and security products, he added.

Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, maker of coffee brands like Chock Full O'Nuts and Hills Bros., recently made an investment in Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and Demantra software, said Bob Ashford, vice president of information innovation.

Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general research breaking news for The IDG News Service. Chris's e-mail address is Chris_Kanaracus@idg.com