Azul, a platform provider, has reported robust growth and ongoing momentum throughout the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Businesses in APAC are increasingly adopting Azul's OpenJDK solutions to manage cost and performance challenges following Oracle's Java Standard Edition (SE) pricing adjustments and the rising expenses associated with cloud infrastructure. The region's organizations are facing heightened financial pressures due to these changes, as highlighted by Azul.
Azul additionally disclosed that businesses typically achieve a 20 percent reduction in their expenses on cloud and infrastructure, coupled with performance enhancements through Azul Platform Prime. These factors have driven Azul's expansion in APAC during 2024, marked by a 37 percent year-over-year increase in new bookings and a substantial 437 percent surge in growth for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025. Azul also noted a 31 percent year-over-year rise in new bookings for 2024, crediting this growth to the widespread adoption of its solutions within the banking and finance sector across Asia.
“The Asia Pacific region has long been a strategic focus for Azul, offering immense growth potential and this past year has been no different”, Azul vice president of APAC Dean Vaughan said. He emphasized that enterprises are grappling with “spiraling cloud costs” and “growing frustration” over Oracle’s Java pricing across the APAC region. He also noted a “steady increase in audit threats” and “aggressive sales tactics” from Oracle in the region. According to him, these market shifts have driven more customers towards Azul’s Java solutions, contributing to their market success.
Azul experienced a notable increase in new bookings facilitated by partners in the region, rising from 38 percent in 2023 to 72 percent in 2024, underscoring the strength of its channel partner growth. In 2024, Azul expanded its partner network by incorporating 46 new partners, including distributors focused on emerging market regions, resellers specializing in specific countries, and systems integrators covering broader geographic areas. These integrators specialize in offering Java advisory, migration expertise, application modernization, and cloud cost optimization solutions to customers.
In 2024, Azul increased its commitment to APAC by bolstering its workforce and enhancing sales and marketing efforts in India. For example, Azul has established partnerships with five of the top 10 banks and three major financial services firms in India. One of India’s largest securities institutions significantly increased its investment in Azul, achieving over 70 percent savings in Java application support costs. Additionally, Azul collaborated with two system integrators on internal customer projects and the development of a Java migration practice.
Vaughan highlighted that India is a “cornerstone” of their expansion in the APAC region. “Our enhanced presence and investment in India have enabled us to forge strong relationships with leading banks and financial institutions, demonstrating the high demand for our cost-effective and high-performance Java solutions”, Vaughan said. “We are proud to support India’s leading enterprises in achieving their technological and financial goals, as well as enterprises throughout the APAC region overall”.