Following on from Part III of our SARDA-inspired blog series, where we explored how proactive managed services prevent Oracle Cloud disasters through the four dimensions of Value as a Service, Part IV looks at how to implement this approach in your organisation and what results you can expect.

Two Paths, One Destination: Getting the Most from Oracle Cloud

Whether you’re planning a move to Oracle Cloud or you’re already there, proactive support changes the game. Let’s talk about both scenarios.

For Organisations Planning Implementation

You’re in the selection process right now, evaluating implementation partners – don’t make the mistake that many organisations make; focusing almost entirely on price and project plan, with barely a thought to what happens after go-live.

This misses the bigger picture, and in the world of Cloud, it’s the weeks, months and years after go-live where the real magic happens on an ongoing basis.  Think of it this way – you’ll spend 9-18 months in implementation, but 5-10 years in ‘business as usual’, consuming those quarterly updates and continuing to evolve the solution to your organisation’s needs. Which stage deserves more of your attention?!

Looking beyond delivery credentials – what to ask a potential partner:

  • “What does your ongoing support model look like?”
  • “How do you approach knowledge transfer during implementation, and afterwards?”
  • “What happens after you leave—do you have a managed service offering?”
  • “Is your support offering just based on the number of tickets raised?”
  • “How will you help us manage Oracle’s quarterly updates?”
  • “Can you show me an example of a client you’ve supported for 3+ years post-implementation?”

The responses will quickly reveal whether you are engaging with a true long-term partner or simply an implementation vendor.

Our Approach

We integrate VaaS planning into implementation from day one, so that even before kick-off, we’re building the foundation for long-term success:

  • Creating comprehensive documentation (not just technical specs, but user-friendly guides your team will actually use)
  • Structuring knowledge transfer into every phase—”build with you, not for you”
  • Planning for the post-go-live target operating model before you go live
  • Identifying who will own what, how updates will be managed, and where optimisation opportunities exist.

By the time you reach go-live, you’ get a working system AND a clear, confident path for how to run, maintain, and continuously improve it. And whether you choose to walk that path with us or independently, you’ll be set up to succeed.

For Organisations Already Living “in the Cloud”

Maybe you went live a year ago. Maybe three? Things are… working. Mostly. But you’re starting to notice things:

  • Your team isn’t as confident with the system as they should be
  • Users have developed workarounds you didn’t know existed until you looked a little closer
  • Quarterly updates feel stressful rather than valuable
  • You’re not sure you’re getting the ROI you expected
  • The thought of rolling out new modules feels daunting

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in good company; this is exactly what we hear from organisations before they engage our Managed Support team. The good news is that although you may feel lost, you’re well within rescue range.

Take Swansea City Council as an example —they came to us needing rescue and stabilisation, and VaaS Enhanced didn’t just fix what was wrong; it transformed their trajectory. They went from struggling to expanding confidently into new areas.

What prevents most organisations from reaching out?

  • “We should be able to handle this ourselves.” You probably can—but at what cost? Your team is already stretched. Oracle Cloud is complex and constantly evolving. Why not partner with specialists for some expert help?
  • “It’s difficult to admit we need help.” SARDA Wales’ search dogs don’t judge why someone got lost on the mountain—they just focus on bringing them home safely. Us too!
  • “We’ve already spent so much, we can’t justify more expense.” The question isn’t whether you can afford proactive support—it’s whether you can afford to keep operating without it? The cost of drift, inefficiency, and missed opportunities adds up quickly.

How Proactive Managed Services Actually Work in Practice

This is what a real VaaS Enhanced journey with de Novo looks like:

Month 1: Foundation and Baseline
We start with a comprehensive assessment of your current solution across all four dimensions:

  • Innovation: How well are you leveraging Oracle’s latest capabilities?
  • Adoption: How effectively are users engaging with the system?
  • Optimisation: How aligned is your configuration with best practices?
  • Efficiency: How much business value are you extracting?

Each dimension is scored 1-5 based on clearly defined criteria. This becomes your baseline—not for judgment, but for measuring progress.

We also establish your named Service Delivery Manager, set up access to our ServiceNow support portal, and ensure your team knows how to reach us 24/7.

Months 2-3: Quick Wins and Planning
Based on the baseline assessment, we identify immediate opportunities—things that will deliver visible value quickly – for example fixing a frustrating process, implementing a feature you didn’t know existed, or providing targeted training for a struggling team.

Simultaneously, we’re building your first quarterly Value Action Plan—a roadmap for improvement across all four dimensions, prioritised by business impact and aligned with your strategic objectives as an organisation.

Months 4-6: First Quarterly Cycle
Your first Oracle quarterly release arrives. Instead of stress, you get a structured approach:

  • We assess the release for relevant innovations and impacts
  • Hold a quarterly check-in with your Service Delivery Manager to review progress against your Value Action Plan and adjust as needed
  • We highlight the areas your team needs to test and outline the expected outcomes
  • Implement changes using controlled change management
  • Measure results and feed insights into the next quarter

Months 7-12: Building Momentum

By now, you’re seeing patterns; users are more confident, processes are more efficient and Oracle releases are no longer something to brace for—they’re delivering meaningful improvements, rather than just extra workload.

Your second and third quarterly check-ins show measurable progress across our four dimensions. More importantly, you’re developing internal capability—your team is learning, growing, and taking increasing ownership.

Year 2+: Strategic Partnership
This is where VaaS Enhanced really differentiates itself. You’re no longer simply maintaining the system—you’re continuously evolving a strategic asset:

  • Exploring new Oracle modules that align with organisational strategy
  • Implementing sophisticated automations and integrations
  • Sharing your success stories internally, building confidence in the Oracle platform
  • Planning multi-year technology roadmap with clarity and confidence

This is what happened with Swansea City Council. This is what “Value as a Service” really means.

The Broader Context: Why This Matters Now

The landscape of enterprise technology has fundamentally changed; Cloud technology—Oracle Cloud included—operates on a continuous delivery model. Innovation doesn’t arrive in big-bang upgrades every few years. It arrives quarterly, incrementally, constantly. This means that what exists on day one, immediately after go-live, will continuously evolve over time – taking advantage of new functionality, and adapting as your organisation adapts.

This is brilliant for organisations that can keep pace and maintain competitive advantage through technology, but for organisations still thinking about enterprise systems the old way—implement once, maintain minimally, upgrade eventually—it’s genuinely challenging. You can’t “set and forget” Cloud systems; they require ongoing care, strategic oversight, and proactive management.

This is why proactive managed services aren’t a luxury anymore- they’re a fundamental requirement for success in the Cloud era.

What Makes de Novo Different?

We’ve implemented Oracle Cloud over a hundred times, so we know what good looks like – but we also rescue failing projects and have seen how things can go wrong. This combination of experience shapes everything about our VaaS approach; we’re not just monitoring your system—we’re actively preventing the patterns we’ve seen derail projects dozens of times.

We Measure What Matters

That four-dimensional framework (Innovation, Adoption, Optimisation, Efficiency) isn’t marketing language—it’s how we actually structure our work and measure success.

Every quarter, you receive clear scoring across these dimensions so that over time you can see progress and identify where more focus is needed. Executive governance becomes easier when you can point to concrete metrics and say: “Here’s where we were, here’s where we are, here’s the business impact.”

We Practice What We Preach

Our partnership with SARDA Wales isn’t just a marketing angle- SARDA genuinely reflects our philosophy: expert guidance prevents disasters, ongoing partnership delivers better outcomes than one-time interventions, and there’s no shame in needing support—there’s only wisdom in seeking it before crisis hits.

Making the Decision

So where does this leave you?

If you’re planning an Oracle Cloud implementation, build proactive support into your planning from day one. Don’t treat it as an afterthought or a “we’ll figure it out later” item. The organisations that succeed are the ones who plan for the marathon, not just the sprint to go-live.

If you’re already running Oracle Cloud and recognising that you need more support—whether preventive or corrective—the best time to act is now, not when something breaks or when leadership starts asking uncomfortable questions. Now, while you still have time to course-correct calmly and strategically.

The mountain rescue principle applies: it’s always better to avoid getting lost than to need rescuing,  but if you do find yourself off-course, the sooner you call for experienced guidance, the better the outcome will be.

If you’re interested in exploring what VaaS could look like for your organisation…

Get in touch: helen.crisostomo@de-novo-solutions.com

Read the full series

About SARDA Wales

SARDA Wales is a volunteer organisation training search and rescue dogs and their handlers to find missing people in mountains and rural areas. Operating 24/7, 365 days a year, the charity receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations to continue their life-saving work across Wales.

If you’d like to help support SARDA Wales and their incredible volunteers, you can make a donation via our JustGiving page here.

For more information about SARDA Wales, please visit: https://www.sardawales.org.uk.