Sounds like it's time, past time, for...
enterprise software users to start contributing to a variety of open source projects. That is the only way that they will have multiple, viable alternatives to this type of vendor lock in. In fact, this company's IT department sound now be looking at any open source alternative to see if they can make it fit this company's needs. What is the cost of re-training some IT guys and hiring a programmer, if needed, versus paying Oracle twice in one or two years for hardware plus software licensing costs?