Oracle and Microsoft have reached an agreement to launch a new service, Oracle Database Services for Azure, with which Azure customers will have direct access to Oracle databases running on the company’s cloud infrastructure. This service has its origin in the relationship that both companies have maintained in cloud and database matters in recent years, which has allowed companies that were clients of both companies to execute workloads between Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud with the goal of reducing latency.
This new, fully managed service enables enterprises to provision and manage Oracle databases running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) using a native Azure console and API, enabling enterprises to monitor Oracle databases directly from the Azure environment. The service automatically configures everything needed to link the two cloud environments and federates Azure Active Directory identities. Thus, Azure customers have more facilities to use the Oracle service.
In addition, with this service, database users in OCI will have a control panel that looks and works familiar to them, although with Azure terminology, and the possibility of monitoring everything with Azure Application Insights. That is, they will be able to control Oracle databases directly from the Azure environment.
Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure and Oracle Interconnect for Microsoft Azure will be at no additional cost. Neither will the transfer of data when it travels between OCI and Azure. Of course, companies will have to pay for other services of both companies that they use, such as Azure Synapse or Oracle Autonomous Database.
The purpose of this service, which is now available, is to reduce the level of complexity in their daily tasks that developers, CIOs, data scientists and engineers face. It also reduces the complexity of managing different products from different vendors, and helps developers speed up app development. They will also make the experience of using multicloud environments easier.
Corey Sanders, Vice President of Microsoft Cloud for Industry and Global Expansionhas recalled that «Microsoft and Oracle have a long history of working together to support the needs of our joint customers, and this agreement is one example of how we offer customers choice and flexibility as they digitally transform with cloud technology. Oracle’s decision to choose Microsoft as its preferred partner deepens the relationship between our two companies, and gives customers the security of working with two industry leaders«.
For its part, Clay Magouryk, Vice President of Oracle Cloud Infrastructurehas pointed out that «There’s a well-known myth that you can’t run real applications on two clouds. Now we can bust that myth, while giving Oracle and Microsoft customers the ability to easily test and demonstrate the value of combining our databases with Azure applications. There is no need to have deep skills in any of our platforms. Nor to use complex configurations. Anyone can use the Azure Portal to harness the power of bringing our two clouds together«.
