Have you ever read an eula? Have you ever heard of someone winning a lawsuit against a software vendor? Have you even heard of someone getting any kind of monetary compensation for mishaps caused by software bugs?
The suing part is purely fictional.
The suing part is purely fictional.
If you hand-roll your own solution for (almost) free using open source components, you're the one who gets fired when it goes down.
If you buy an enterprise-level solution from Vendor XYZ, with a requisite expensive support contract, they fucked up when it goes down, and you are safe because goodness, who'd have thought an internationally renowned firm like Vendor XYZ would ever break? Besides, thanks to our expensive support contract, they're on top of it.
Microsoft, Oracle, Accenture, they all share one thing in common: their product more CYA for middle managers than anything else.
I have similar thoughts about management consulting - it's CYA for high-level execs. You rubber-stamp a risky move with a respected firm so that if the shit hits the fan the firm (and yourself) are insulated from the backlash.
It's safety for the middle manager who can point a finger when his boss comes screaming down the hall when the servers go down.