Support for Microsoft Windows Azure, Hyper-V from Oracle Software

Oracle is set to certify and support its software products that currently operate on Microsoft Windows Azure cloud platform and Hyper-V virtualization technology, as a result of a new partnership announced by both companies earlier this week.

License mobility is being provided to customers that choose to operate Oracle software on Windows Azure, and licensed and supported Java for Windows Azure will also be offered.

The CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, and the President of Oracle, Mark Hurd, outlined the alliance in a conference. Both stated that it would be necessary to meet the cloud computing needs of their customers.

Ballmer said: "Everything in the enterprise is different. Different sets of technical needs, investments, scale [and] timing." Ballmer also stated that the partnership was formed as a result of the growing adoption of hybrid cloud systems.

He added: "Most important to our enterprise customers is that we will work together, Microsoft and Oracle, to provide best-in-class, end-to-end support to customers running mission-critical Oracle applications and software on Microsoft's enterprise-grade cloud computing and virtualization platforms."

Hurd stated: "At Oracle, we certainly see the IT industry as very dynamic. Customers want more flexibility and choice to be able to adapt to a rapidly changing business landscape."

During a Q4 earnings call last week, the CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellison, first mentioned plans for this alliance.

Applications, middleware, database, Java and Linux software for Microsoft's Hyper-V and Windows Azure will be certified and supported by Oracle. Hurd said: "Support is effective immediately."

Microsoft's Windows Server as a platform is already supported by Oracle, and aids its database and other software products.

Hurd added: "License mobility is also effective immediately. This allows customers the freedom to use their Oracle licenses they already own in Windows Azure." For companies without Oracle licenses, infrastructure services with configurations of Oracle software (such as Oracle database, Oracle WebLogic Server and Java to the Windows Azure image gallery) will be added.

Windows Azure has developed into a $1 billion business for Microsoft, and this point has not been lost on Oracle.

The executive vice president of Oracle partner Cloud Creek Systems, Rhos Dyke, said: "Microsoft owns a huge share of the OS market - Oracle owns a huge share of the commercial database market. If Oracle expects to hold on to that market share, they MUST run on EVERY popular OS platform - period!"

Perficient is based in St. Louis and is a solution provider that works with both Oracle and Microsoft; it serves a number of customers with technology from both vendors. The marketing director for the company's Microsoft national business unit, Liza Sisler, said: "This really does solidify Microsoft as a cloud leader. It gives our customers more choices and options to embrace the cloud."

Dyke commented on the fact that hosted service providers are big fans of Microsoft's platforms, saying: "I'd love to know how many off-site, remote hosting service providers pushed for Oracle to certify on these MS operating systems."

Fully licensed and supported Java in Windows Azure will be offered by Microsoft. The president of Microsoft's server and tools business, Satya Nadelle, said that this will help make Java a "first-class language and design environment in Azure."

She added: "This will give Java developers increased flexibility and choice in where to deploy their Java applications, and the safety and security that comes from knowing that Java on Windows Azure is fully licensed and fully supported by Oracle."

A number of Oracle customers already operate Oracle software on Windows, and Nadella noted that this move is "all about extending that to the cloud."

The deployment of Linux will also be provided by Oracle, as will extra Oracle software which has been pre-configured on Windows Azure. (CY) Link