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

For managed service providers, Java has long been both essential and frustrating — a core technology burdened by complex licensing, compliance challenges, and increasing security scrutiny. Azul’s new Managed Service Provider (MSP) Program aims to turn that pain into a business opportunity. Built on the Azul Intelligence Cloud, the program helps partners simplify Java management, boost developer efficiency, and deliver continuous value to customers — all under their own brand.

Over the past few years, Java licensing has changed dramatically. Oracle’s shift to employee-based licensing models has forced organizations to rethink how they track and manage Java usage. Simon Taylor, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Partners & Alliances at Azul, says this has created a significant gap in the market — one that Azul is now addressing head-on.

“Most customers go to partners first because they want independent advice,” Taylor explains. “They want to understand their licensing obligations and compliance requirements before making changes.” The problem, he says, is that traditional tools focus only on what’s installed — not on what’s actually being used.

Azul’s Intelligence Cloud fills that gap by providing a live Java inventory that shows real usage across distributions. It analyzes how Java is deployed, what code is running, and where vulnerabilities may exist — providing insights that go far beyond installation-level data.

For partners, that difference is critical. “It’s not just about the customer using our product,” Taylor says. “It’s about adding value to the service that a partner delivers.” By giving MSPs access to real-time intelligence about their customers’ Java environments, Azul helps them move from reactive support to proactive management.

The MSP Program was designed from the ground up with partners in mind. It offers a dedicated provisioning process, regular reporting, and strict data separation to meet compliance standards like GDPR and DORA. Taylor emphasizes that Azul’s onboarding is hands-on, not hands-off. “We pride ourselves on customer excellence,” he says. “We provide dedicated instances for each partner and full support through provisioning and decommissioning.”

Training and enablement are also major parts of the program. Azul has built professional, interactive learning modules that go beyond recorded webinars — designed to help partners quickly master the Intelligence Cloud platform and start generating value for clients.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the MSP model is its white-label flexibility. Partners can deliver Azul’s technology under their own brand, maintaining customer ownership and revenue control. “White labeling allows the partner to brand the delivery of intelligence as their own,” Taylor says. “We just ask that somewhere it says ‘powered by Azul.’”

That branding freedom means MSPs can package Azul’s insights into their own service offerings — whether compliance audits, security posture reports, or ongoing license management. Some partners are even offering “Oracle Defense” services, using Intelligence Cloud alerts to detect when Oracle Java instances reappear in an environment, allowing immediate remediation.

Security is another area where Azul’s Intelligence Cloud stands out. By collecting usage data directly from the Java Virtual Machine, it provides an accurate picture of what code is active — a game-changer for identifying vulnerabilities. “We can detect unpatched libraries like Log4j almost instantly,” Taylor notes. “Partners can then prioritize real issues instead of drowning in noise.”

Beyond licensing and security, the Intelligence Cloud also enables performance optimization and modernization. Through its code inventory feature, the platform identifies dead or unused code that consumes developer time and adds unnecessary risk. Taylor cites one major customer that discovered 30 developer-years of wasted effort maintaining unused code. “That’s the kind of actionable insight that drives real efficiency,” he says.

For managed service providers, this creates new ways to expand their role with clients — from compliance and security reporting to developer productivity consulting. Azul’s Intelligence Cloud gives them the data and visibility to deliver those services effectively, while the MSP Program provides the operational model to scale them.

As Taylor explains, the opportunity isn’t limited to experienced Java partners. Even MSPs new to the space can start valuable conversations. “Ask customers simple questions,” he says. “Do you know what’s installed versus what’s used? Are you patching effectively? Are you managing your Java estate from a security point of view?” Those discussions often uncover hidden risks and open doors to new service offerings.

Ultimately, Azul’s goal is to empower its partners to turn complexity into growth. “We’re giving MSPs the tools and intelligence they need to make Java management a recurring, high-value service,” Taylor concludes. For an ecosystem where licensing anxiety and compliance pressures are constant, that’s a powerful proposition.