Oracle and Microsoft are joining forces to redefine the cloud database landscape by enhancing Oracle Database@Azure with revolutionary advancements. This joint announcement introduces Oracle Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure—a game-changer designed to deliver the performance and reliability of Exadata without the expense of dedicated database and storage servers. With a promise of up to 95 percent lower minimum infrastructure costs, businesses can now leverage elastic, pay-as-you-go resources that scale with their needs while enjoying seamless integration on Microsoft Azure.
Key highlights include:
• Elastic, pay-per-use resource model: Customers can choose the number of database server ECPUs and storage capacity needed, with every database spread across pooled storage servers.
• Up to 95 percent reduction in minimum infrastructure costs: A significant lowering of the entry barrier enables even smaller organizations to take advantage of Exadata’s performance.
• Intelligent data management: The Exascale intelligent storage cloud leverages RDMA communication, AI Smart Scan, and advanced data-aware operations to optimize performance and reliability.
This announcement resonates particularly well with IT managers who oversee both cloud and on-premises environments, as it simplifies scaling, resource allocation, and cost management in hybrid setups.
• Automated Lifecycle Management: Simplifies administration tasks, ensuring that routine maintenance and updates are streamlined—a critical factor for Windows administrators who are always juggling multiple systems.
• Low-Code Development Capabilities: Empowers developers to build and deploy applications quickly, reducing time-to-market.
• Pay-as-You-Go Pricing: Aligns costs directly with usage, making budgeting more predictable and efficient.
This service is expected to support Oracle Database Enterprise Edition and Standard Edition 2 versions of both 19c and 23ai. With this range, organizations can choose the edition that best suits their needs while enjoying modernized infrastructure management through Oracle Database@Azure.
The benefits of this expansion are clear:
• Simplified Cloud Migration: Customers migrating Oracle databases to Azure can leverage proven migration utilities like Oracle Zero-Downtime Migration, easing the transition without disruption.
• Enhanced Flexibility: A broader regional presence means lower latency and better performance, especially for multinational companies.
• Unified Licensing and Support: Oracle and Microsoft have streamlined purchasing to allow customers to leverage existing licenses, commitments, and discount programs. This integrated support is particularly attractive for enterprises looking to run mission-critical applications in a coherent multi-cloud environment.
For Windows Forum readers managing cross-platform deployments or planning migration projects, this regional expansion is a key development that underscores the strategic partnership between Oracle and Microsoft.
• Combine the vast development capabilities of Microsoft Azure with the power of Oracle’s engineered systems.
• Build integrated solutions with Azure's AI, data analytics, and security tools while capitalizing on Oracle’s database performance.
• Achieve consistency with on-premises deployments, reducing the need for extensive rearchitecting or refactoring.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, such enterprise-level integration fosters greater agility, security, and scalability. This setup is particularly beneficial for IT departments managing Windows Server environments alongside other critical systems, ensuring that operational complexity is kept at bay while pushing forward with innovation.
• Oracle Exadata’s Exascale model reduces infrastructure fees dramatically while offering robust, high-performance capabilities.
• The elasticity and intelligent features of Exadata align perfectly with the demands of modern, cloud-native applications.
• The upcoming Oracle Base Database Service will further streamline database administration on virtual machines, a much-needed boost for operational efficiency.
• Expanded regional availability means better service performance and lower latency across key global markets, a win for enterprises with distributed operations.
As organizations navigate the evolving cloud landscape, questions naturally arise. How can these new services be integrated into existing Windows Server environments? Will the pay-as-you-go model help balance IT budgets more efficiently? And more importantly, what does this mean for digital transformation strategies in the era of rapid technological change?
These are questions that every IT professional should be asking, as this collaboration sets the stage for a more flexible and powerful cloud database environment that transcends traditional limitations.
For Windows IT professionals and enterprise decision-makers, these developments represent an opportunity to streamline IT operations and harness the best of both Oracle’s data management prowess and Microsoft’s expansive cloud ecosystem. As the cloud continues to evolve, staying ahead of the curve with such integrated services can be the difference between leading the digital transformation wave and playing catch-up.
In this dynamic and competitive tech landscape, the partnership between Oracle and Microsoft is poised to empower organizations with the tools they need for success—merging innovation, flexibility, and reliability into a single, powerful cloud solution.
Source: Oracle https://www.oracle.com/ng/news/announcement/oracle-and-microsoft-add-new-services-to-oracle-database-at-azure-2025-03-20/
A New Era for Cloud Database Services
Oracle Database@Azure is getting a substantial boost as Oracle introduces its Exascale deployment option. This service is set to eliminate the complexities and costs associated with provisioning dedicated hardware, thereby simplifying database operations for organizations of every size.Key highlights include:
• Elastic, pay-per-use resource model: Customers can choose the number of database server ECPUs and storage capacity needed, with every database spread across pooled storage servers.
• Up to 95 percent reduction in minimum infrastructure costs: A significant lowering of the entry barrier enables even smaller organizations to take advantage of Exadata’s performance.
• Intelligent data management: The Exascale intelligent storage cloud leverages RDMA communication, AI Smart Scan, and advanced data-aware operations to optimize performance and reliability.
This announcement resonates particularly well with IT managers who oversee both cloud and on-premises environments, as it simplifies scaling, resource allocation, and cost management in hybrid setups.
Meeting the Demands of Today’s Enterprises
Under the hood, Oracle Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure is built to address today’s multifaceted database challenges. Here’s how:Elasticity and Cost Efficiency
- On-Demand Scaling: Unlike traditional setups, Exascale enables online scaling without long lead times. Administrators can adjust compute and storage as workloads shift, ensuring optimal resource utilization.
- Reduced Entry Costs: By eliminating the need for dedicated servers, organizations can save substantially on initial infrastructure investments—an attractive proposition for startups and large enterprises alike.
Intelligent Storage and AI Capabilities
- RDMA-Capable Storage Cloud: This architecture distributes databases intelligently across multiple storage servers. The RDMA technology ensures ultra-low latency for transaction processing, which is a boon for high-throughput online transaction processing (OLTP) applications.
- AI Smart Scan: With AI-infused smart caching and vector search capabilities running up to 30 times faster than traditional methods, organizations can execute thousands of concurrent AI vector searches in multi-user environments. This is especially critical for data-driven enterprises looking to exploit machine learning and AI within their database queries.
Robust Analytics and Cloning
- Intelligent Analytics: Automated offloading of intensive SQL queries to the storage cloud allows for extreme throughput scaling—up to 2,880 GB/s. This feature includes automatic columnarization, which converts data into an ultra-fast in-memory format, leveraging flash caches for enhanced performance.
- Database-Aware Cloning: Advanced snapshot capabilities allow for instantaneous creation of full copies or thin clones. This supports a rapid DevOps model, enabling developers to test and deploy without the overhead of traditional cloning processes.
Coming Soon: Oracle Base Database Service on Oracle Database@Azure
The evolution doesn't stop at Exadata. Oracle and Microsoft are also set to roll out Oracle Base Database Service soon. Designed for virtual machines running Oracle Database workloads, this service brings a host of benefits:• Automated Lifecycle Management: Simplifies administration tasks, ensuring that routine maintenance and updates are streamlined—a critical factor for Windows administrators who are always juggling multiple systems.
• Low-Code Development Capabilities: Empowers developers to build and deploy applications quickly, reducing time-to-market.
• Pay-as-You-Go Pricing: Aligns costs directly with usage, making budgeting more predictable and efficient.
This service is expected to support Oracle Database Enterprise Edition and Standard Edition 2 versions of both 19c and 23ai. With this range, organizations can choose the edition that best suits their needs while enjoying modernized infrastructure management through Oracle Database@Azure.
Expanding Global Availability on Microsoft Azure
In response to growing customer demand, Oracle Database@Azure is now live in the Microsoft Azure East U.S. 2 region—bringing its total availability to 14 regions. And the story gets even better: Oracle plans to extend this service to 18 additional regions in the coming twelve months. This expanded footprint includes markets such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, and various key locations across Europe and Asia.The benefits of this expansion are clear:
• Simplified Cloud Migration: Customers migrating Oracle databases to Azure can leverage proven migration utilities like Oracle Zero-Downtime Migration, easing the transition without disruption.
• Enhanced Flexibility: A broader regional presence means lower latency and better performance, especially for multinational companies.
• Unified Licensing and Support: Oracle and Microsoft have streamlined purchasing to allow customers to leverage existing licenses, commitments, and discount programs. This integrated support is particularly attractive for enterprises looking to run mission-critical applications in a coherent multi-cloud environment.
For Windows Forum readers managing cross-platform deployments or planning migration projects, this regional expansion is a key development that underscores the strategic partnership between Oracle and Microsoft.
Integrated Cloud and Multicloud Strategies
Oracle’s collaboration with Microsoft on Oracle Database@Azure is a cornerstone of its distributed cloud strategy. This initiative goes beyond simple integration—it’s a step towards a harmonious multi-cloud environment where organizations can:• Combine the vast development capabilities of Microsoft Azure with the power of Oracle’s engineered systems.
• Build integrated solutions with Azure's AI, data analytics, and security tools while capitalizing on Oracle’s database performance.
• Achieve consistency with on-premises deployments, reducing the need for extensive rearchitecting or refactoring.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, such enterprise-level integration fosters greater agility, security, and scalability. This setup is particularly beneficial for IT departments managing Windows Server environments alongside other critical systems, ensuring that operational complexity is kept at bay while pushing forward with innovation.
Implications for IT Managers and Enterprise Users
The Oracle and Microsoft collaboration is more than just a press release—it's a strategic pivot towards innovative, cost-effective cloud infrastructure. IT managers, system architects, and database administrators should consider the following takeaways:• Oracle Exadata’s Exascale model reduces infrastructure fees dramatically while offering robust, high-performance capabilities.
• The elasticity and intelligent features of Exadata align perfectly with the demands of modern, cloud-native applications.
• The upcoming Oracle Base Database Service will further streamline database administration on virtual machines, a much-needed boost for operational efficiency.
• Expanded regional availability means better service performance and lower latency across key global markets, a win for enterprises with distributed operations.
As organizations navigate the evolving cloud landscape, questions naturally arise. How can these new services be integrated into existing Windows Server environments? Will the pay-as-you-go model help balance IT budgets more efficiently? And more importantly, what does this mean for digital transformation strategies in the era of rapid technological change?
These are questions that every IT professional should be asking, as this collaboration sets the stage for a more flexible and powerful cloud database environment that transcends traditional limitations.
Conclusion: A Bold Leap in Cloud Innovation
Oracle and Microsoft’s latest announcement marks a bold leap forward in cloud database technology. With Oracle Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure, customers can deliver high performance, robust analytics, intelligent OLTP, and AI-enhanced services at a fraction of traditional costs. The upcoming Oracle Base Database Service and the aggressive global expansion of Oracle Database@Azure further cement the commitment to providing businesses with a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution.For Windows IT professionals and enterprise decision-makers, these developments represent an opportunity to streamline IT operations and harness the best of both Oracle’s data management prowess and Microsoft’s expansive cloud ecosystem. As the cloud continues to evolve, staying ahead of the curve with such integrated services can be the difference between leading the digital transformation wave and playing catch-up.
In this dynamic and competitive tech landscape, the partnership between Oracle and Microsoft is poised to empower organizations with the tools they need for success—merging innovation, flexibility, and reliability into a single, powerful cloud solution.
Source: Oracle https://www.oracle.com/ng/news/announcement/oracle-and-microsoft-add-new-services-to-oracle-database-at-azure-2025-03-20/
