Microsoft has recently announced its plans to expand its partnership with Oracle, a rival cloud company. As part of this collaboration, company will host Oracle services. The new offering, Oracle Database@Azure, will allow Oracle customers to seamlessly migrate their databases to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and deploy them in Azure alongside their existing workloads in the Microsoft Cloud.
This announcement means that Microsoft will now be the only cloud provider, besides Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, to host Oracle services. Both companies are aiming to increase their market share through this strategic partnership.
In a press release, Microsoft summarized the advantages of Oracle Database@Azure, stating that it combines the performance, scalability, and workload availability of Oracle Database on OCI with the security, flexibility, and top-notch services of Microsoft Azure. This includes outstanding AI services like Azure OpenAI.
According to recent Synergy statistics, Microsoft holds 22% of the cloud market, twice as much as Google’s share at 11%. However, MS and Google still trail far behind Amazon, which consistently maintains a 32–34% market share.
While Oracle did not make it into the top five cloud providers (including Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Alibaba, and IBM), this partnership is expected to impact both companies’ figures positively.
Oracle Chairman and CTO Larry Ellison highlighted the rising trend of multi-cloud adoption. They explained how the collaboration with MS will make it easier for customers to connect Azure Services with the latest Oracle Database technology seamlessly.
Customers will have the option to purchase Oracle Database@Azure through the Azure Marketplace using their existing Azure agreements. Alternatively, they can utilize their existing Oracle Database license, including options like Bring Your License and the Oracle Support Rewards program.
Initially, the Oracle Database@Azure services will be available in North America and Europe, with plans for global expansion already in motion.