Overview
House of Brick is an Oracle-focused licensing and database advisory firm founded in 1998 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The firm was acquired by OpsCompass in 2020 and operates as House of Brick — an OpsCompass Company. House of Brick reports approximately 28 employees in 2026 and has supported more than 2,500 clients on Oracle licensing risk, audit defence, cost optimisation, and database architecture. The practice combines unusually deep Oracle Database technical expertise with commercial licensing knowledge — most senior advisors hold long-standing Oracle Database administrator backgrounds.
The core focus is Oracle Database licensing in complex deployment scenarios — particularly virtualised environments on VMware vSphere, public cloud (AWS EC2, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure), and hybrid configurations where Oracle's contractual licensing rules create disputes about counted processors. House of Brick has published widely on Oracle's partitioning policy, the legal weight of Oracle's soft-partitioning rules, and the licensing implications of vSphere clusters. Additional services include Oracle audit defence, ULA exit advisory, Java SE subscription advisory, and database managed services delivered jointly with OpsCompass's cloud governance platform.
House of Brick is a fit for organisations running Oracle Database on VMware, AWS, or Azure at scale, where the licensing risk is concentrated in virtualisation and cloud counting rules rather than application-tier user licences. The firm is rarely the right choice for buyers wanting multi-publisher SAM towers or large EBS/Fusion Cloud functional implementation work — those engagements are better served by Anglepoint, SoftwareOne, or a Big Four implementation partner. House of Brick is often paired with a generalist licence advisor for non-Oracle vendor coverage.
Services Offered
- Oracle Database licensing advisory and ELP
- Oracle on VMware licensing risk assessment
- Oracle on AWS, Azure, and OCI licensing advisory
- Oracle audit defence
- Oracle Unlimited Licence Agreement (ULA) exit
- Oracle Java SE subscription advisory
- Database architecture and migration planning
- Oracle Database managed services
- Cloud governance with OpsCompass
- Independent expert witness and litigation support
Typical Engagement
| Engagement Type | Model | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Oracle Database ELP | Fixed-fee project | $40K–$120K |
| Oracle on VMware risk assessment | Fixed-fee | $30K–$80K |
| Audit defence engagement | Fixed-fee or T&M | $60K–$300K per audit |
| Database architecture consulting | T&M or fixed-fee | $250–$420/hour blended |
| Database managed services | Monthly retainer | $8K–$120K per month |
Pricing verified May 2026 from buyer references and published case studies. House of Brick operates under the OpsCompass umbrella and offers integrated cloud governance services alongside Oracle advisory.
Strengths
- Deepest published knowledge base on Oracle Database licensing in virtualised and cloud environments — particularly Oracle on VMware
- Senior team backgrounds in Oracle Database administration, not just commercial advisory — supports defence positions with technical detail
- Long track record of expert witness work on Oracle licensing disputes, useful in heavy audit or litigation scenarios
- Independent of Oracle — no Oracle partner status, no resale, no participation in Oracle's LMS audit programme
- Integration with OpsCompass cloud governance platform enables continuous monitoring of Oracle deployment in public cloud
Limitations
- Oracle Database-focused — buyers needing SAP, Microsoft, IBM, or Salesforce advisory will require a separate firm
- Small team (~28 employees) — capacity is constrained during heavy audit waves
- Application-tier Oracle work (EBS, Fusion Cloud, PeopleSoft user counting) is less central than the database practice
- OpsCompass acquisition creates commercial alignment with a cloud governance product that buyers should disclose during recommendation
- Heaviest delivery weight in North America; EMEA and APAC support is generally remote