Guest: Simon Taylor (LinkedIn) 
Company: Azul (Twitter)
Show: Let’s Talk

Azul has positioned itself as a cost-effective alternative to Oracle‘s Java OpenJDK, offering broader support across high-performance environments. In this episode, Simon Taylor, Azul’s Vice President of Global Channel Sales, delves into the company’s pivotal role within the Java ecosystem. Taylor discusses how Oracle’s Java monetization strategy has spurred Azul’s channel growth and emphasizes Azul’s commitment to managed services, security, and AI-enhanced developer operations.

Taylor also highlights Java’s significant influence on global applications, noting that Azul’s network of over 200 channel partners now drives 44% of the company’s revenue and strengthens its advisory services.

Azul’s role in high-performance Java solutions and enterprise applications

• Taylor explains Azul’s mission to provide Java-based solutions for performance-driven industries, offering robust alternatives to Oracle’s Java platforms.
• Taylor emphasizes Azul’s longstanding presence in the industry, noting it has spent over 23 years refining its OpenJDK solutions to meet the demands of organizations requiring a high-performance Java runtime.
• Azul’s Java solutions power about 35-40% of all applications globally, particularly in sectors with high-performance requirements, such as finance, manufacturing, and real-time trading, where stability and speed are critical.
• Taylor highlights that Azul’s Java offerings are designed to support modern cloud infrastructures and containerized environments like Kubernetes, addressing clients’ needs for scalable and adaptable applications across diverse deployment models.

Java’s dominant role in cloud and modern application environments

• Taylor elaborates on Java’s relevance today, especially in cloud-native ecosystems like Kubernetes, where applications demand high performance and reliability across distributed systems.
• Taylor explains that Java has remained a trusted language due to its ability to handle complex applications in large enterprises, especially in high-stakes environments like financial trading and industrial automation.
• While other languages like Python and C++ serve specialized or smaller applications, Taylor says Java remains a preferred choice for large-scale operations where performance and security are paramount for companies.
• Taylor points out that Java continues to evolve, with newer versions (now up to Java 23) offering enhanced performance, security, and reliability, enabling it to stay relevant in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

The critical role of channel partnerships in the Java ecosystem

• Taylor goes into depth about Azul’s partnerships with channel organizations to support and expand the Java ecosystem, allowing clients to maximize Java’s potential.
• Taylor explains that Java’s open-source model enables a broad community of DevOps teams, integrators, and consultancies to build unique solutions tailored to enterprise needs, fueling Java’s extensive global adoption.
• Taylor believes that Oracle’s recent Java monetization efforts have created friction, leading Azul’s partners to seek alternatives and creating advisory opportunities that ensure clients can leverage Java cost-effectively.
• Azul’s channel strategy supports advisory and implementation services, enabling partners to provide clients with insights and practical solutions around Java licensing, deployment, and performance optimization.

Strategic criteria for selecting Azul’s channel partners

• Taylor outlines Azul’s criteria for channel partners, emphasizing the qualities that make partners integral to Azul’s service delivery and client success.
• Taylor describes Azul’s partner strategy as diverse, encompassing large value-added resellers (VARs), two-tier distributors, and system integrators who bring unique expertise to service delivery and client engagements.
• Unlike some software vendors, Azul does not directly offer services; instead, it focuses on empowering partners to deliver specialized services for clients in a range of industries.
• Taylor adds that Azul prioritizes alignment with partners skilled in cloud technologies, including those with deep expertise in AWS, GCP, and Azure, along with managed services providers that tailor solutions to optimize client operations with Azul’s offerings.

The evolution of Azul’s channel ecosystem from traditional licensing models to service-driven offerings

• Taylor shares how the channel ecosystem is evolving, especially as resellers and vendors adapt to changing revenue structures and new customer expectations.
• Taylor tells us that many value-added resellers are shifting their focus from traditional licensing models to service-driven offerings due to industry-wide margin pressures and more standardized customer purchasing processes.
• Taylor emphasizes that Azul’s strategy aligns with this shift, supporting partners in developing and scaling their service capabilities, which drives higher profit margins and long-term client relationships.
• Azul currently works with over 200 partners worldwide and plans to expand in key areas like cloud cost optimization, application modernization, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.

The impact of Oracle’s Java licensing changes and the subsequent new partner opportunities

• Taylor talks about Oracle’s recent Java licensing and pricing changes, which have created new market opportunities for Azul and its partners.
• Taylor believes that Oracle’s adjustments to its licensing model have led clients to seek clarity elsewhere, creating a significant demand for advisory services among partners who can interpret these changes.
• Azul’s partners now offer more IT asset management and software advisory services to help clients evaluate their total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI) in light of Oracle’s pricing.
• Taylor highlights that this trend has spurred greater direct engagement between Azul and its partners, enabling them to provide Java-focused solutions that address clients’ financial and operational requirements more effectively.

Azul’s approach to managed services and its advanced security solutions

• Taylor discusses Azul’s approach to managed services and its role in strengthening application security for organizations deploying Java-based solutions.
• Taylor introduces Azul’s Intelligence Cloud, an analytics-driven solution designed for development and operations teams to gain actionable insights into Java environments and optimize application performance.
• Azul is pivoting toward a managed service model with the Azul Intelligence Cloud, aiming to streamline developer operations and address the growing demand for application-level security.
• Taylor discusses Azul’s Vulnerability Detection solution, which provides real-time vulnerability assessment in Java applications, helping organizations respond to security threats quickly and efficiently.

Azul’s Certification Programs and Training for its Partner Network

• Taylor explains that Azul has introduced certification programs covering sales, systems engineering, and migration services, enabling partners to deepen their expertise in the Java ecosystem.
• Taylor talks about the individuals that have already completed these certifications, saying that there are more in progress, reflecting the increasing demand for specialized skill sets within Azul’s partner network.
• Taylor highlights that as the managed services market grows, Azul anticipates that partners’ certification and training in advanced Java services will become critical in meeting clients’ evolving requirements.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its Impact on Azul’s Partners

• Taylor describes how Azul and its partners are approaching the rising interest in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its potential applications.
• Taylor outlines three primary AI types: Narrow Intelligence (machine learning for specific tasks), General Intelligence (like Gen AI with broader capacities), and Super Intelligence, which is more hypothetical.
• Most companies are currently focused on Narrow Intelligence, leveraging machine learning to improve decision-making, recommendations, and automated responses within defined parameters.
• Taylor highlights that Azul’s partners are particularly interested in applying Narrow Intelligence to practical business needs, such as AI-powered knowledge portals that offer users timely insights, which can yield immediate operational benefits.

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.