Oracle launches universal credits to simplify multicloud usage

Oracle has introduced Oracle Multicloud Universal Credits, a licensing programme designed to simplify the procurement and management of Oracle Database and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services across multiple public cloud providers.

The new service will allow customers to use universal credits across Oracle Database deployments in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and OCI. This is expected to enable organisations to operate their applications and manage Oracle database workloads in their preferred regions, subject to the specific policies of each cloud marketplace.

According to Oracle, the initiative offers a unified cross-cloud consumption model, aiming to provide consistency in contracts and greater flexibility in where and how customers run their workloads. Under the scheme, customers can buy Oracle database or OCI services once and operate them as needed across different public clouds.

Procurement and governance

Dave McCarthy, Research Vice President at IDC, said the move addresses significant customer challenges around procurement and governance that often hinder adoption of new technology solutions.

"Procurement and governance are often roadblocks for innovation. Oracle has already done the technical work to create multicloud offerings in AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, and now they've taken it a step further and simplified procurement, contracting, and governance to provide even more flexibility to customers. Oracle Multicloud Universal Credits could be the jet fuel that accelerates widespread adoption of Oracle's multicloud services."

Oracle's Multicloud Universal Credits are expected to deliver a number of customer benefits, including a single consumption model for seamless administration, broader cloud region coverage, and improved workload portability. The universal credit model can also be applied to any OCI service, not just the Oracle AI Database deployments.

Coverage and capabilities

Under this new model, customers will gain broader access to public cloud regions, potentially supporting compliance requirements or reducing latency for certain applications. This approach provides commercial freedom to move workloads across clouds as appropriate for business needs, while aiming to support consistent governance and database management practices regardless of the underlying cloud provider.

Karan Batta, Senior Vice President of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, highlighted the company's focus on making cloud migration and application modernisation more accessible to their customers.

"Oracle's industry-leading multicloud solution is designed to help customers accelerate application modernization and cloud migrations. With multiple regions now live across AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure and the coming launch of Oracle Multicloud Universal Credits, we're giving customers more choices and flexibility than ever by simplifying contracts and introducing the industry's first flexible, cross-cloud consumption model."

The service is compatible with existing Oracle database services available via AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, and extends to all OCI-delivered services. Oracle says that interested organisations are able to request early access to the programme.

Distributed cloud landscape

Oracle positions Multicloud Universal Credits as part of its broader distributed cloud portfolio. This portfolio includes public cloud services for general and regulated use, dedicated cloud regions for deployment within customer data centres, hybrid cloud offerings that bring OCI services on-premises, and physically integrated services in other public clouds.

The company operates separate cloud environments tailored for public sector and national security requirements in the US, UK, and Australia, as well as isolated cloud regions for sovereignty and compliance needs.

Its hybrid offerings enable the use of OCI services in customer-operated environments, with solutions such as Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer and Compute Cloud@Customer already in place across more than 60 countries. The Roving Edge Infrastructure enables compute and AI services at edge locations through ruggedised devices.

On the multicloud side, Oracle has established native deployments of its AI database services within AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, aiming to offer low-latency access and direct integrations. In addition, Oracle Interconnect solutions provide further flexibility by permitting direct links between Oracle Cloud services and those of Microsoft and Google.

With the introduction of Multicloud Universal Credits, Oracle is providing customers with new options for cloud procurement and management, bringing consistent licensing and administration regardless of the underlying cloud provider.