Oracle and Microsoft have announced Oracle Database@Azure, which gives customers direct access to Oracle database services running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and deployed in Microsoft Azure datacenters.
Oracle Database@Azure delivers all the performance, scale, and workload availability advantages of Oracle Database on OCI with the security, flexibility, and best-in-class services of Microsoft Azure, including best-in-class AI services like Azure OpenAI. This combination provides customers with more flexibility regarding where they run their workloads. It also provides a streamlined environment that simplifies cloud purchasing and management between Oracle Database and Azure services.
With the introduction of Oracle Database@Azure, Oracle and Microsoft are helping customers accelerate their migration to the cloud, so they can modernise their IT environments and take advantage of Azure’s infrastructure, tooling, and services. Customers will benefit from:
- More options to move their Oracle databases to the cloud;
- The highest level of Oracle database performance, scale, and availability, as well as feature and pricing parity;
- The simplicity, security, and latency of a single operating environment (data center) within Azure;
- The ability to build new cloud-native applications using OCI and Azure technologies, including Azure’s best-in-class AI services;
- The assurance of an architecture that is tested and supported by two of the most trusted names in the cloud.
“We have a real opportunity to help organisations bring their mission-critical applications to the cloud so they can transform every part of their business with this next generation of AI,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “Our expanded partnership with Oracle will make Microsoft Azure the only other cloud provider to run Oracle’s database services and help our customers unlock a new wave of cloud-powered innovation.”
“Most customers already use multiple clouds,” said Larry Ellison, Oracle Chairman and CTO. “Microsoft and Oracle have been working together to make it easy for those customers to seamlessly connect Azure Services with the very latest Oracle Database technology. By collocating Oracle Exadata hardware in Azure datacenters, customers will experience the best possible database and network performance. We are proud to partner with Microsoft to deliver this best-in-class capability to customers.”
Multicloud Made for Customers
The new service delivers a fully integrated experience for deploying, managing, and using Oracle database instances within Azure. It enables organisations to drive breakthroughs in the cloud using their existing skills to leverage the best of Oracle and Microsoft capabilities directly within the Azure portal.
The new service is designed to eliminate customers’ biggest challenges in adopting multicloud architectures, including disjointed management, siloed tools, and a complex purchasing process.
As a result of this expanded partnership, customers will have the choice to deploy their Azure services with their fully managed Oracle Database services all within a single datacenter, including support for Oracle Exadata Database services, Oracle Autonomous Database services, and Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC). Oracle and Microsoft have also developed a joint support model to provide rapid response and resolution for mission-critical workloads.
Additionally, Oracle and Microsoft have significantly simplified the purchasing and contracting process. Customers will be able to purchase Oracle Database@Azure through Azure Marketplace, leveraging their existing Azure agreements. They will also be able to use their existing Oracle Database license benefits including Bring Your Own License and the Oracle Support Rewards programme.
“As we continue our digital transformation through innovation and technology, interoperability across cloud service providers to enable safe, secure, and rapid financial transactions for our 40 million customers is paramount,” said Mihir Shah, enterprise head of data, Fidelity Investments. “Today’s announcement displays how industry leaders Microsoft and Oracle are putting their customers’ interests first and providing a collaborative solution that enables organisations like Fidelity to deliver best-in-class experiences for our customers and meet the substantial compliance and regulatory requirements with minimal downtime.”
“Data is the lifeblood of any business, and the cloud is the best way to analyse it so that insights become actionable,” said Magesh Bagavathi, senior vice president and global chief technology officer, PepsiCo. “As one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world with a market value of over 200 billion U.S. dollars, the ability to run our mission-critical systems and associated data in the cloud with Oracle Database@Azure gives us a scaled strategic advantage across our global operations.”
“We are looking to our technology partners to support Vodafone’s strategic focus on customers, simplicity, and growth across Europe and Africa,” said Scott Petty, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone. “This new offering from Oracle and Microsoft does that by enabling us to deliver innovative and differentiated digital services faster and more cost-effectively to our customers.”
“As a global leader in the financial services industry, Voya has harnessed the power of digital transformation to help provide the best experience for our customers and employees. As we continue to bring our business applications to the cloud, cloud partnerships have the potential to help the entire industry maintain better security, compliance, and performance, helping to accelerate the development of new technology products, solutions, and services that enhance customer experience and help achieve better financial outcomes,” said Santhosh Keshavan, executive vice president and chief information officer, Voya Financial, Inc.
Oracle will operate and manage these OCI services directly within Microsoft’s data centers globally, beginning with regions in North America and Europe.
