Azul, a Java-focused company, experienced growth across its product lines and global presence, driven by shifts in Oracle’s Java pricing and increasing cloud expenses.
In response to Oracle’s new pricing model introduced in January 2023, which significantly increased costs for many companies, Azul witnessed a surge in demand for its OpenJDK-based alternatives.
“It’s clear that customers are frustrated with the uncertainty around Oracle Java’s frequent pricing and licensing changes — the switch last January was its fourth major change in four years, leaving customers looking for other options,” said Scott Seller, co-founder and CEO of Azul.
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Sellers also noted how Azul provided a stable and cost-effective transition away from Oracle, with its Java runtime and development platform offering comparable features at a fraction of the cost.
Following this announcement, Azul saw a substantial increase in new customer bookings for its Azul Platform Core, with a 49% year-over-year growth, accompanied by a 36% increase in new Core customers. The company’s focus on cloud cost optimization led to a 30% year-over-year rise in new customer bookings for its Azul Platform Prime, resulting in significant savings for clients.
Optimizing cloud infrastructure
Geographically, Azul experienced robust growth in Asia Pacific and EMEA regions, with 37% and 69% year-over-year increases in new bookings, respectively. The Oracle pricing change created new revenue opportunities for Azul’s partners, attracting 36 new channel partners within six months and resulting in a 67% year-over-year increase in new customers through channel partners.
Azul’s expanded channel program, now with over 100 global members, offers accelerated benefits to partners, enabling them to assist clients in optimizing cloud infrastructure and reducing Java support costs while delivering revenue-generating applications.
“Whenever changes occur in software pricing models, they present an opportunity for us to assist clients in modernizing their legacy infrastructure and optimizing their cloud investments” Said Dwight Jordan, vice president of Software Alliances and Operations at SoftwareOne.
Partnerships with major cloud marketplaces like AWS and Google Cloud further simplify the procurement process for Azul products, enhancing accessibility for customers and channel partners alike.