Microsoft and Oracle Boost Oracle Database@Azure with AI, Data Integration

Upgrades to Oracle Database@Azure: Enhancing Cloud Capabilities with Microsoft and Oracle Partnership

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Introduction

Microsoft and Oracle have taken another significant step in their multi-year partnership by announcing substantial upgrades to Oracle Database@Azure. This enhanced offering enables customers to run or develop new cloud applications that seamlessly integrate Oracle Database services with native Microsoft Azure services. The result is an optimized environment characterized by extremely low latency and high performance. This article delves into the details of these new enhancements, their implications, and customer reactions, providing a comprehensive overview for tech enthusiasts and professionals alike.

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Co-Authorship and Background

The collaboration between Microsoft and Oracle has been pivotal in offering unique cloud solutions. This article is co-authored by Kambiz Aghili, Vice President of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Multicloud at Oracle. One year ago, both companies unveiled Oracle Database@Azure, a first-of-its-kind solution that offers Oracle Database services running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) within Microsoft Azure datacenters. This strategic move allowed customers to combine Oracle Database services with Azure’s native capabilities, resulting in applications that benefit from superior performance and minimal latency.

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Key Enhancements to Oracle Database@Azure

The latest updates to Oracle Database@Azure are designed to unlock new value from data and pave the way for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. Here are the significant enhancements:

1. Integration with Microsoft Fabric:
   • This integration is set to drive customer data and AI innovations by combining Oracle Database@Azure with Microsoft Fabric. Microsoft Fabric is an AI-powered data analytics platform that helps unify and future-proof data estates, allowing businesses to spend less time managing data and more time deriving value from it.
2. Enhanced Security and Compliance:
   • Oracle Database@Azure now integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, a cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) system. This integration extends threat analytics to Oracle Exadata Database Service and the infrastructure powering Oracle Database@Azure. Additionally, new compliance certifications ensure industry-leading security for mission-critical workloads.
3. Regional Expansion:
   • Plans are underway to expand Oracle Database@Azure to a total of 21 primary regions, each with at least two availability zones. This expansion will support Oracle’s Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA), ensuring the highest levels of availability and resilience.
4. Customer Success Stories:
   • Various organizations across industries, such as Conduent, Liantis, MSCI, State Street Corporation, Sanofi, and SAS, have chosen Oracle Database@Azure to run their Oracle workloads, citing performance, scalability, security, and reliability as key benefits.

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     Customer Testimonials
     

     Customers are at the heart of the Microsoft and Oracle partnership. Here are some testimonials that highlight the impact of Oracle Database@Azure:

   • John Rogers, Chief Information Security Officer at MSCI:
   • “With the continuing threat of ransomware, companies must rebuild their critical services and systems from scratch—not just reconstitute data into a compromised environment. Oracle Database@Azure is the only service that meets MSCI’s Cyber DR needs from a recovery time, security isolation, recovery point, and cost perspective.”
   • Kevin Fuller, Global Head of Technology at Sanofi:
   • “Sanofi is advancing its cloud strategy and modernization of critical workloads on the cloud. By hosting Oracle Databases on Azure, we expect to significantly enhance the scalability, reliability, and performance of our critical workloads. This approach enables us to optimize costs, accelerate cloud growth, and achieve greater agility and flexibility across our operations.”
   • Akshay Sharma, Managing Director, Cloud Engineering at State Street Corporation:
   • “Oracle Database@Azure provides us with a best-of-breed service—combining the performance of Exadata and the power of Azure. This allows us to accelerate our cloud journey for Azure workloads without major refactoring, protecting our existing investments in Exadata and offering a seamless migration experience for mission-critical workloads.”

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     Microsoft Fabric and Oracle Database@Azure Integration
     

     The integration of Microsoft Fabric with Oracle Database@Azure is now in public preview. This partnership leverages OCI GoldenGate, a database replication and heterogeneous data integration service, to synchronize data estates with Microsoft Fabric. This integration offers new opportunities for data analytics and AI applications by unifying diverse datasets, enabling teams to identify patterns and visualize opportunities more effectively.

     Microsoft Fabric:

   • An evolving, AI-powered data analytics platform that empowers customers to unify and future-proof their data estates.
   • Seamlessly integrates new capabilities, allowing businesses to focus on unlocking value from their data rather than managing it.
   • OCI GoldenGate supports integration across dozens of data sources and targets, including OneLake in Microsoft Fabric, delivering real-time data to the Microsoft ecosystem.

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     Security and Compliance Integrations
     

     With the integration of Microsoft Sentinel, Oracle Database@Azure customers benefit from enhanced security and compliance features. Microsoft Sentinel is designed to identify and address cyber threats across an enterprise using intelligent security analytics. This integration ensures that threat analytics extend to Oracle Exadata Database Services, enhancing overall security.

     Additionally, Oracle Database@Azure now boasts a comprehensive array of global certifications for privacy, healthcare, payment services, and more. These certifications help customers meet regulatory requirements and ensure the highest levels of data protection.

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     Resiliency Enhancements
     

     Oracle Zero Data Loss Autonomous Recovery Service is now generally available, providing businesses with a fully managed data protection service for Oracle Exadata Database on Oracle Database@Azure. This service allows organizations to restore business-critical data promptly after ransomware attacks, without losing any data, and enhances operational efficiency to meet financial regulations.

     Maximum Availability Architecture:

   • Oracle Database@Azure is designed with a robust architecture to meet high availability and resilience requirements.
   • Deployment across at least two availability zones in all primary regions ensures maximum uptime and fault tolerance.
   • Support for Oracle’s Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) Gold tier is available in all regions, with options for MAA Platinum certification for the highest level of availability.

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     Regional Expansion
     

     Oracle Database@Azure continues to grow in response to customer demand. Currently available in six regions worldwide, plans are underway to expand availability to a total of 21 regions globally. This expansion will include additional support for disaster recovery in several Azure regions, ensuring that customers can achieve unparalleled availability and resilience.

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     Oracle Autonomous Database on Oracle Database@Azure
     

     The general availability of Oracle Autonomous Database service on Oracle Database@Azure has been announced. Customers can now purchase this service via a private offer from Oracle sales or through a new pay-as-you-go option available in the Azure Marketplace. Oracle Autonomous Database provides a managed Oracle Database service, offering ultimate control and flexibility.

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     Getting Started with Oracle Database@Azure
     

     Oracle Database@Azure offers a comprehensive solution for running Oracle workloads alongside non-Oracle workloads, leveraging Azure services to innovate and prepare applications for AI.

     For those attending Oracle CloudWorld:

   • Join the sessions and visit the Microsoft booth for demos and expert discussions.

     For those interested in migration:

   • Learn how to migrate and manage Oracle databases in Azure through available resources and training paths.

     For further assistance:

   • Contact the sales team to get started with Oracle Database@Azure.

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     The collaboration between Microsoft and Oracle continues to evolve, offering customers enhanced capabilities, security, and resilience. These upgrades to Oracle Database@Azure mark a significant step forward in cloud innovation, providing businesses with the tools they need to thrive in a data-driven world.

For more Information, Refer to this article.