Guest: Simon Taylor (LinkedIn)
Company: Azul 
Show: Java Reloaded
Topic: Cloud Native

In a world overloaded with security alerts and observability data, managed service providers and enterprises alike struggle to find what truly matters. Azul’s Intelligence Cloud changes that by bringing clarity, context, and control specifically to Java environments. Simon Taylor, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Partners & Alliances at Azul,  explains how collecting data directly from the Java Virtual Machine enables precision visibility — transforming how MSPs handle performance, compliance, and security.

Every enterprise today is flooded with observability data — but very little of it tells a clear story. Tools monitor everything from servers to applications, yet teams still face the same question: which issues actually matter? Azul’s Intelligence Cloud was designed to answer exactly that question for Java.

“What makes it different,” says Taylor, “is that we’re collecting actual usage information directly from the Java Virtual Machine.” That real-time view goes far beyond installation data. It tells you how long an application runs, when it runs, what code is active, and how that code behaves.

This granular visibility helps enterprises and MSPs understand their Java environments in a way that general-purpose observability platforms simply can’t. “You can start to understand not just what you need to license,” Taylor explains, “but also how your applications are performing and where vulnerabilities exist.”

The system anonymizes and aggregates data into an analytics platform that provides both high-level and detailed insights. For example, it can identify if an application consistently runs with performance degradation, or if a specific code module is unused and consuming unnecessary resources. These insights can directly guide modernization and optimization decisions.

Yet perhaps the biggest differentiator is how Azul Intelligence Cloud approaches security. Instead of relying on external scanning tools that flood dashboards with millions of alerts, Azul uses a “laser-focused” model that ties vulnerability information directly to real JVM activity.

“When you collect data from running JVMs,” Taylor says, “you can compare that with known CVEs and pinpoint exactly where an unpatched or high-risk vulnerability exists in a critical application.” This approach helps security teams focus on real, exploitable risks instead of theoretical ones.

For managed service providers, that precision is transformative. They can build stronger service offerings around accurate vulnerability detection and continuous posture assessment. “Our partners are already delivering security posture reports, compliance checks, and modernization services using this data,” Taylor notes. “Some are even integrating vulnerability detection as part of their managed security operations.”

Traditional scanning tools tend to generate signal overload, making it difficult to separate critical vulnerabilities from false positives. Azul’s system inverts that model — it starts from verified runtime behavior and narrows the focus to what’s truly relevant. This approach makes vulnerability management both more accurate and more efficient.

The Intelligence Cloud also opens new doors for cross-functional improvement. By combining performance, usage, and security data, partners can offer more comprehensive services — from patch management to performance tuning to cloud migration strategy. “Knowing when something runs and how long it runs gives partners real insights into modernization opportunities,” Taylor says. “If you can identify code that’s inefficient or outdated, you can immediately drive developer productivity.”

Beyond security, this usage-based visibility is helping teams cut technical debt. Taylor mentions examples of customers identifying dormant code, reducing maintenance overhead, and improving resource allocation — all by understanding what their Java applications actually do in production.

The result is not just better observability — it’s actionable intelligence. For MSPs, this becomes a key differentiator in a crowded market where most monitoring tools look and sound alike. “There’s a lot of scope for partners,” Taylor explains. “They can interpret this data, wrap it into their own reports, and deliver meaningful value to customers.”

Azul’s Intelligence Cloud effectively bridges three operational gaps: licensing visibility, performance optimization, and runtime security. By unifying them, it gives partners a single framework to deliver managed services that are both profitable and indispensable.

“We’re seeing some of our partners integrate this technology into their own branded security operations,” Taylor adds. “They’re using it to deliver posture reports weekly or even daily. That’s the level of insight the Intelligence Cloud makes possible.”

For enterprises managing complex Java estates, and for MSPs advising them, the benefits are clear: less noise, more accuracy, and faster remediation. It’s observability and security with purpose — built for Java, and built for action.