Microsoft has announced a tie up with Oracle that will allow customers to run Oracle software on Windows Server Hyper-V and in Windows Azure.
The partnership means that Oracle will certify and support its software -- including Java, Oracle Database and Oracle WebLogic Server -- on the Microsoft cloud platforms. The key elements of the deal are listed on Oracle's corporate blog.
Commenting on the move Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive says, "Microsoft is deeply committed to giving businesses what they need, and clearly that is the ability to run enterprise workloads in private clouds, public clouds and, increasingly, across both. Now our customers will be able to take advantage of the flexibility our unique hybrid cloud solutions offer for their Oracle applications, middleware and databases, just like they have been able to do on Windows Server for years".
Oracle President Mark Hurd says, "Our customers' IT environments are changing rapidly to meet the dynamic nature of the world today. At Oracle, we are committed to providing greater choice and flexibility to customers by providing multiple deployment options for our software, including on-premises, as well as public, private, and hybrid clouds. This collaboration with Microsoft extends our partnership and is important for the benefit of our customers".
An interesting effect of the deal is it means that Oracle Linux will be available as a preconfigured instance on Windows Azure. Microsoft, however, will gain from getting customers to pay for its services even if they’re running rival software.
Microsoft's Azure cloud platform has so far lagged behind Amazon's AWS offering. This deal with Oracle may provide the push it needs to gain impetus in the enterprise marketplace.
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