Cloud Business Insights

Datascape Podcast Episode 41 – Choosing a Public Cloud for Oracle Database

2 min read

Apr 23, 2020

You can run Oracle anywhere. It’s very flexible, which means anywhere you can get a VM, you can run it, including a virtual box on your laptop. There’s even have a free edition (XE) if you don’t have large data needs. In this episode, we’ll discuss why you would choose to host your Oracle Database anywhere other than its native cloud. We look at the feasibility of doing so, along with some of the benefits and drawbacks that you’ll likely encounter moving to a public cloud.

Simon Pane, a friend of the show and Principal Consultant at Pythian, is here to walk us through this topic. As usual, he provides excellent insights. We start by discussing Oracle’s cloud (OCI) and the reasons to stay with it, which include its flexibility and very good support. However, the platform is in its relative infancy which means that there will likely some problems.

We then move on to the big three: Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. Moving to a public cloud provider might be part of an organizational “bigger picture” and other non-functional reasons. With Azure and AWS, clients are likely hoping to take advantage of the other features, such as Azure’s Office 365 and AWS’s RDS. Despite being licensed for Oracle, Azure is not optimized for it because there are no special shapes or options. AWS does have managed services, but still has drawbacks, which Simon explores in-depth.

We then move on to Google Cloud, the newest kid on the block. There are certainly great features (like BigQuery) that come along with it, but there is a major discrepancy: Licensing. The Oracle licensing policy does not include GC, so Simon offers some potential workarounds for this problem.

Ultimately, there is no slam-dunk solution for where to host Oracle databases. If you put your blinders on and focus on one area, it might seem that one cloud resolves all of your needs. However, it really comes down to making trade-offs and deciding which need is most important. Be sure to tune in today!

Key Points from this Episode

Discover reasons someone might move an Oracle on-premises database to a public cloud.
How Oracle-supported versions work and why this might be a reason for using public clouds.
Insights into Oracle cloud (OCI), its bad name, and the two reasons people don’t use it.
The motivators for utilizing OCI: It’s best at home, supportability, and unique needs.
Learn why you would use Azure as a home for your Oracle Database.
The pain points you might encounter hosting an Oracle Database on Azure.
Developments between Microsoft and Oracle. Two former enemies now building bridges.
Reasons to go with AWS: Brand recognition, first to market, and managed service.
Oracle licenses are incredibly expensive and drive the cost up in cloud and on-premises.
Discover some of the shortcomings of hosting an Oracle Database on AWS.
An overview of the special Oracle licensing considerations to remember.
The benefits and drawbacks of using Google Cloud for Oracle Databases.
Cloud SQL: Another example of Oracle’s terrible product names!
A universal cloud challenge: None of them are great with upgrades.
Why having cloud as backup or DR can be a good way to navigate the cloud decision matrix.
What public clouds have in store for Oracle going into the future.