Oracle has expanded Oracle Database@Azure into the West Europe (Netherlands) region, adding another major European market to the joint Oracle-Microsoft database service. The expansion is intended to support customers with data residency, latency, and sector-specific compliance requirements in the EU.
The company also launched the service in Brazil Southeast (Rio de Janeiro), complementing its existing Brazil South (São Paulo) region. The additional location enables in-country and regional disaster recovery while complying with local regulations.
in-country and regional disaster recovery architectures
Oracle Database@Azure runs Oracle database services inside Microsoft Azure data centers. Oracle manages the database layer, while Microsoft provides the surrounding cloud infrastructure. It supports Azure customers seeking to move Oracle database workloads off on-premises systems without re-architecting applications.
The expansions show Oracle’s effort to make its Oracle Database@Azure portfolio available inside Microsoft Azure data centers for customers standardized on Azure.
How Oracle Database@Azure works
Oracle Database@Azure runs Oracle database services on Oracle Exadata infrastructure inside Microsoft Azure data centers. This reduces latency compared with databases hosted outside Azure. Applications run in Azure, while Oracle manages the database infrastructure.
The service offers the same major Oracle database services customers would expect from Oracle itself, not a stripped-down version created just for Azure.
Oracle Database@Azure is designed to support Oracle’s full database services portfolio, including Base Database Service, Exadata Database Service on Dedicated and Exascale Infrastructure, Autonomous AI Database, Autonomous AI Lakehouse, GoldenGate, and Zero Data Loss Autonomous Recovery Service. Customers gain advanced Oracle capabilities without moving workloads to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
Existing Oracle databases can also move into Azure without re-architecting applications. Oracle supports Zero Downtime Migration tooling, Maximum Availability Architecture reference designs, bring-your-own-license options, and license-included models.
Operational responsibility remains split. Oracle operates and maintains the database layer, including patching and availability, while customers access services through Azure-native tools.
The structure aligns Oracle database operations with Azure application environments without introducing a separate management model.
Database Strategy Extends Across Hyperscale Clouds
Oracle Database@Azure is part of a wider shift in Oracle’s cloud strategy. The company has increasingly focused on delivering its database technology inside hyperscale cloud environments, rather than moving customers onto Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
The approach reflects demand to run applications on Microsoft Azure that rely on Oracle databases.
The expansion follows a similar rollout of Oracle Database@Google Cloud in Canada and India. Both offerings use a similar model, running Oracle databases inside hyperscaler data centers and supporting Exadata-based services, Autonomous Database offerings, and migration tools.
The differences are primarily in scale and integration. Oracle Database@Azure is available in more regions and is more deeply integrated with Microsoft’s ecosystem, while Oracle Database@Google Cloud remains earlier in its rollout, with a smaller regional footprint.
Oracle has positioned the partnerships as a way to retain database customers as cloud adoption accelerates, particularly in highly regulated industries. The model allows organizations to keep using Oracle databases while deploying applications on their preferred cloud platforms.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
Oracle databases can move without architectural disruption. Oracle Database@Azure lets existing Oracle customers deploy databases inside Azure while preserving performance, licensing models, and operational practices. Executives can lower migration risk while extending the life of existing Oracle investments.
Azure expands database flexibility for enterprises. The service allows organizations standardized on Azure to run Oracle databases alongside cloud-native applications, avoiding forced rewrites or migrations to alternative database platforms. Leaders preserve application momentum while avoiding costly, time-consuming database conversions.
Oracle is decoupling databases from its cloud. By delivering its database services portfolio inside hyperscaler environments, Oracle prioritizes database adoption and retention over driving customers exclusively toward Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. CIOs reduce architectural risk while aligning databases with enterprise cloud standards.
