Microsoft & Oracle back together
1. Quick fact sheet Oracle Database @Azure
- Deployment: Oracle Database Cloud Services can be deployed and run within an Azure region.
- Billing: All negotiations and purchases are done with Microsoft, and payments are made through Azure consumption commitments.
- Licensing: Customers can choose between bringing their own Oracle Database license (BYOL) or opting for the “license included” option, meaning this will come from the Azure marketplace.
- Features: Oracle Database @Azure provides access to Enterprise Edition (EE) and all its options.
- Availability: Oracle Database @Azure will be available in early 2024, initially in EU and North America.
2. Microsoft & Oracle in the past
When Microsoft first launched Azure in 2010, Oracle was one of its partners. This meant that customers could deploy and manage Oracle Database workloads on Azure.
There were a number of benefits to this partnership, including:
- Customers had a single point of contact for support for their Oracle Database workloads on Azure.
- Customers could leverage the performance and scale of Oracle Database with the security and reliability of Azure.
- Customers could take advantage of Azure’s other services, such as storage and networking, to build and manage complex applications.
However, the partnership ended in 2019. There are a few possible reasons for this:
- Both Microsoft and Oracle are large companies with their own cloud computing platforms and strategies. This may have led to some competition and tension between the two companies.
- Oracle may have felt that it was not getting enough benefit from the partnership.
- Microsoft may have wanted to focus on developing its own cloud database offerings, such as Azure SQL Database and Azure Database for PostgreSQL.
Whatever the reasons, the end of the partnership between Microsoft and Oracle was a disappointment to some customers. These customers will be excited about the (re)new(ed) partnership between the two tech giants!
3. New partnership: Oracle Database @Azure
The new partnership between Microsoft and Oracle, which was announced in September 2023, is a significant development. Oracle Database @Azure gives customers a new way to deploy and manage their Oracle Database workloads on Azure.
Unlike the previous partnership, Oracle Database @Azure is a fully managed service. This means that Oracle operates and manages the Oracle Database instances directly within Microsoft’s data centres. Microsoft is responsible for the physical infrastructure and networking, while Oracle takes responsibility for the software and support.
This gives customers the best of both worlds: the performance and scale of Oracle Database on OCI with the security, flexibility, and best-in-class services of Microsoft Azure. It provides customers of both providers more flexibility and choice.
It will be interesting to see how this new partnership evolves over time and what new innovations it produces.
4. Benefits of Oracle Database @Azure
The partnership between Microsoft and Oracle has a number of potential benefits for Microsoft customers, including access to previously exclusive Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), such as free diagnostics and tuning packs. Additionally, there’s an opportunity to decrease support fees through the Oracle support rewards program.
Other benefits for Microsoft customers:
- More choice and flexibility: Microsoft customers will have more choice and flexibility when it comes to deploying and managing their Oracle Database workloads. They can choose to deploy their Oracle Database workloads on Azure, OCI, or both.
- Improved performance and scale: Oracle Database @Azure is built on the same Oracle Exadata hardware that is used for OCI, so Microsoft customers can expect the same high performance and scale.
- Enhanced security and compliance: Oracle Database @Azure is built on the Microsoft Azure platform, which offers a wide range of security and compliance features and services.
- Access to best-in-class services: Oracle Database @Azure customers will have access to all of the best-in-class services that Microsoft Azure offers, such as Azure OpenAI.
For Microsoft customers, the main change is that they will now have a new option for deploying and managing their Oracle Database workloads: Oracle Database @Azure.
In addition to the benefits listed above, the partnership between Microsoft and Oracle could also lead to new innovations in the cloud computing space.
For example, the two companies could collaborate on developing new services that allow customers to easily migrate their Oracle Database workloads to Azure or OCI. They could also collaborate on developing new services that leverage the best of both platforms, such as a service that combines the performance and scale of Oracle Database with the AI capabilities of Azure.
5. Who is Oracle Database @Azure for?
Customers can purchase Oracle Database @Azure directly from Oracle (through BYOL to Azure) or through the Azure Marketplace.
Customers who can definitely benefit:
Enterprise customers: Enterprise customers with demanding Oracle Database workloads can benefit from the performance, scale, and workload availability advantages of Oracle Database @Azure.
- Cloud-native customers: Cloud-native customers can benefit from the flexibility and best-in-class services that Microsoft Azure offers.
- Customers with hybrid environments: Customers with hybrid environments can benefit from the ability to deploy and manage their Oracle Database workloads in both Azure and OCI.
Here are some real-life use cases of how different types of customers can benefit from the partnership:
- A large retail company can use Oracle Database @Azure to run its mission-critical ERP system. The company can benefit from the performance, scale, and availability of Oracle Database, as well as the security and compliance features of Microsoft Azure.
- A startup company can use Oracle Database @Azure to build and deploy its new cloud-based application. The startup can benefit from the flexibility and best-in-class services of Microsoft Azure, as well as the ability to scale its Oracle Database workload up or down as needed.
- A government agency can use Oracle Database @Azure to run its citizen-facing applications. The agency can benefit from the security, compliance, and scalability of both Oracle Database and Microsoft Azure.
6. How to license Oracle Database @Azure as a Microsoft customer?
Oracle Database @Azure is licensed for Microsoft customers on a bring-your-own-license (BYOL) basis. This means that Microsoft customers need to purchase Oracle Database licenses directly from Oracle. They are then be able to deploy and manage their Oracle Database workloads on Azure using Oracle Database @Azure. Want to know more about BYOL in Azure? Read our blog here.
Alternatively, you can choose to buy the Oracle Databases from the Azure marketplace, where the Oracle products will be made available.
The pricing for Oracle Database @Azure is based on the number of virtual CPUs (vCPUs) that customers use. Customers are also charged for the Azure compute and storage resources that they use.
Microsoft customers can purchase Oracle Database licenses directly from Oracle or through a Microsoft partner via the channels you already know. Microsoft also offers a number of tools and resources to help customers manage their Oracle Database licenses on Azure.
Here are some additional things customers need to keep in mind about licensing Oracle Database @Azure:
- You need to have a valid Oracle Support contract in order to use Oracle Database @Azure.
- Customers need to be able to use their existing Oracle Database licenses on Oracle Database @Azure.
- You cannot use your Oracle Database licenses on other cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
More information
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