Oracle goes pay-as-you-go with Verizon

Oracle would seem to have caught the cloud bug in a big way, for following on from having joined OpenStack and launched a full-frontal attack on the marketplace with an any-type-of-cloud-so-long-as-its-Oracle set of service offerings, it has now carved a deal with Verizon to offer pay-as-you-go availability of itsOracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware and on Verizon’s cloud infrastructure, including the new Verizon Cloud. Apart from anything else this gives existing Oracle users the chance to experiment with cloud services, before diving in unconditionally.

The deal brings together Verizon's enterprise-level cloud with the opportunity for customers choose the type of Oracle service required using multiple deployment options, including on-premises, public, private, and hybrid clouds. Customers can bring their own Oracle licenses to the Verizon platform or purchase Verizon cloud services which already include Oracle licenses.

Current Verizon eCloud and Managed Hosting customers can also be able to use Oracle software on a per-hour cost basis and can leverage existing Oracle licenses.

Verizon sees this as critical for Global 1,000 companies in industries like financial services, retail and energy as they migrate from on-premises solutions to hybrid or cloud-based environments. With Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware available as cloud services, customers can leverage existing assets, gain efficiencies in the cloud and pay for only what they need on an hourly basis rather than having to purchase perpetual licenses.

"This deal represents two market leaders coming together to create a compelling cloud offering that will help enterprises succeed in a highly competitive market environment," said Oracle President Mark Hurd. "Combining Verizon’s enterprise experience and capabilities with Oracle’s cloud products will provide customers another easy and cost-effective choice for embracing the cloud."

This is quite a filip for the Verizon Cloud, which was announced last October and is currently still in beta. The company sees the agreement with Oracle as a marker of a commitment to building an ecosystem of enterprise-class technologies, delivered as services on top of Verizon Cloud.

"With Oracle, we’re helping enterprises transform their operations with the cloud," said John Stratton, president, Verizon Enterprise Solutions. "Few companies begin with a complete cloud environment, and the benefits of migrating to the cloud have at times been outweighed by the challenges and costs associated with making a change. Oracle and Verizon have now removed those obstacles. Companies can use their existing Oracle licenses or pay as they go for Oracle’s software and gain the power of Verizon’s next-generation enterprise cloud."

Companies interested in using Verizon Cloud can sign up to be a beta customer and learn more about support for Oracle software through the Verizon Enterprise Solutions.