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Audit Defense

Turn a Negative Audit into a Positive Outcome

Facing a Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, or SAP audit? We've reduced audit claims by up to 78%. Deep licensing expertise and aggressive negotiation protect your position.

Microsoft Oracle IBM Adobe Broadcom
The Challenge

When a software publisher initiates an audit, most organizations panic. Internal teams lack the licensing expertise to challenge inflated claims, and the vendor's audit team is trained to maximize your liability. Without expert defense, you'll likely pay far more than you actually owe — and the financial impact can be devastating, with unbudgeted payments of millions that can cost people their jobs.

Software publisher audits are a billion-dollar revenue stream for vendors like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and Adobe. They're designed to intimidate and extract maximum payment — often far beyond what's actually owed. Without expert representation, organizations routinely overpay by millions. UMS has defended clients against the most aggressive vendor audits for over 25 years. We reduced Bank of New York Mellon's $35M audit exposure to $7.5M. We've taken clients from multi-million dollar settlement letters to zero. Whether you've just received the initial audit letter or you're deep in negotiations, we can help.

What We Deliver

How we save you money

/01

Audit Claim Reduction

We've reduced audit claims by up to 78% — turning $35M exposures into $7.5M settlements, and multi-million dollar claims to zero. We know exactly how vendors inflate their numbers and how to challenge every line item.

/02

Deep Licensing Expertise

Our team has 25+ years of licensing expertise across Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, SAP, Adobe, VMware, and Broadcom. We know the licensing rules better than the vendors' own audit teams.

/03

Full Lifecycle Defense

Whether you just received the initial audit letter, are mid-negotiation, or have already received a settlement demand — we can step in at any stage and improve your outcome.

/04

Post-Audit Compliance

After resolving the audit, we help you establish ongoing compliance monitoring so you never face an unpleasant surprise again.

How It Works

Our process

01

Rapid Assessment

We review the audit letter, your current licensing position, and the vendor's claims to identify every area where their numbers are inflated or incorrect.

02

Defense Strategy

We build a comprehensive defense: documenting your actual usage, identifying licensing entitlements the vendor missed, and preparing counter-arguments for every inflated claim.

03

Negotiation & Resolution

We negotiate directly with the vendor's audit team to achieve the best possible outcome — whether that's a dramatically reduced settlement, a favorable compliance agreement, or complete dismissal.

Proven Results

See this service in action

FAQ

Common questions

I just received an audit letter from Microsoft. What should I do?

Contact us immediately. The earlier we engage, the better your outcome. We'll review the audit scope, assess your exposure, and develop a defense strategy. Do not provide data to the vendor until you have expert guidance.

Can you help if we're already in the middle of an audit?

Absolutely. We regularly step into audits already in progress. Even after a settlement letter has been issued, we've achieved dramatic reductions — including taking a $35M claim down to $7.5M for Bank of New York Mellon.

Which software vendors do you defend against?

We have deep expertise defending against audits from Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, SAP, Adobe, VMware, Broadcom, and other major publishers. These vendors collectively generate billions in audit revenue annually.

How much can you reduce our audit exposure?

Results vary by situation, but we've achieved reductions of 50-100% on audit claims. Our track record includes reducing a $35M exposure to $7.5M and eliminating multi-million dollar claims entirely.

What does audit defense cost?

We typically work on a shared savings model — we share in the reduction we achieve compared to the vendor's initial claim. If we don't reduce your exposure, you don't pay. Zero risk.

Get Started

Ready to start saving?

Book a free 30-minute consultation. We'll show you exactly where your savings are — no obligation, no upfront cost.