Lift and Shine Oracle to Azure with Tessell PaaS

“I’m most impressed by the team’s never-ending availability, solution-centric thinking, and amazing customer service attitude. This, in combination with top-notch Oracle knowledge and skill, makes it very easy for me to recommend Tessell to any corporation seeking options for running Oracle in Azure. Also, the portal for Oracle workloads is a masterpiece. All vital information about the database’s state is available at a glance. Exemplary.”
           - Head of Operational Technology and Data at a multi-billion dollar global energy company

Organizations continually seek innovative solutions to enhance efficiency and agility. For businesses relying heavily on Oracle databases, migrating to Azure offers numerous benefits, including cost savings, scalability, and improved performance. Tessell, a Microsoft Oracle on Azure Partner, provides comprehensive solutions to facilitate the seamless migration of Oracle databases to Azure. This blog delves into how Tessell can transform your Oracle workloads, ensuring a smooth and efficient transition to the cloud.

Oracle Workloads

Tessell offers robust support for all Oracle workloads, ensuring a smooth transition of packaged applications such as E-Business Suite and PeopleSoft, Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications, and custom applications. The complexity and diversity of these workloads require a nuanced approach to migration that Tessell is uniquely equipped to provide. By leveraging Tessell’s deep expertise and tailored strategies, organizations can confidently migrate their critical workloads to Azure without compromising functionality or performance.

The migration of packaged applications like E-Business Suite involves detailed planning and precise execution. These applications are integral to business operations, managing everything from financials to human resources. Tessell ensures that these critical applications are migrated smoothly, with all dependencies and integrations intact. For COTS and custom applications, Tessell provides specialized support to address unique requirements and potential challenges, ensuring a seamless transition to the cloud environment.

Seamless Migration

Migrating databases often raises concerns about downtime and data loss, which can significantly affect business continuity. Tessell addresses these issues with its automated zero downtime and zero data loss migration strategy. Tessell begins by creating a standby environment in the cloud using a crawl, walk, and run methodology. This initial step ensures that a replica of your database is available, minimizing the risk of data loss.

The process then progresses to more complex phases, ensuring that all aspects of the migration are thoroughly tested and optimized. When the migration reaches the final phase, the database is fully operational in the cloud with no downtime and data loss. This methodical approach allows organizations to migrate their databases without disrupting ongoing business activities, providing peace of mind and operational continuity.

Licensing

One key advantage of migrating Oracle databases to Azure with Tessell is maintaining existing licensing models. Tessell enables organizations to license their Oracle databases like they do on-premises by using dedicated hosts. This flexibility simplifies the migration process and ensures cost-effectiveness, making the transition to the cloud more attractive for organizations already invested in Oracle’s licensing framework.

Dedicated hosts provide the same level of control and security as on-premises environments, allowing organizations to manage their licenses efficiently. This approach eliminates the need for organizations to renegotiate licenses or invest in new ones, reducing both cost and complexity. By maintaining familiar licensing models, Tessell ensures organizations can transition to the cloud without the financial and administrative burdens typically associated with such migrations.

In cloud environments, two vCPUs typically equate to one Oracle processor license. With multi-threading enabled, two vCPUs run on a single physical core, making one physical core in the cloud equivalent to one Oracle processor license. Conversely, two physical cores are needed for one Oracle processor license for on-premises databases. This disparity can significantly increase costs when running Oracle on public clouds. However, using dedicated hosts can mitigate this issue, as you license the entire hardware similarly to on-premises setups. Consequently, the on-premises licensing formula applies - two physical cores of a dedicated host equal one Oracle processor license.

Consolidation

With its unique database consolidation feature, Tessell allows multiple databases to be hosted on the same server. This consolidation optimizes resource utilization and reduces operational costs, as managing multiple databases on a single server simplifies infrastructure management and enhances efficiency. By consolidating databases, organizations can achieve greater scalability and flexibility, easily adapting to changing business needs.

Hosting multiple databases on the same server also streamlines maintenance and administrative tasks. With fewer servers to manage, IT teams can focus on optimizing performance and ensuring data security. Consolidation also improves disaster recovery and backup processes, as fewer systems need to be managed and maintained. This holistic approach to database management enhances overall operational efficiency and reduces the total cost of ownership.

dbPaaS

Tessell’s fully managed Database as a Service (DBaaS) features provide a comprehensive suite of tools for efficient database management. These features include provisioning, patching, monitoring, snapshots, RMAN backups, cloning, restoring, resizing, and high availability/disaster recovery (HA/DR). With these capabilities, organizations can ensure their databases are always up-to-date, secure, and resilient.

Provisioning new databases becomes a streamlined process with Tessell’s DBaaS features, reducing the time and effort required to set up and configure new instances. Automated patching and monitoring ensure that databases remain secure and perform optimally, while snapshots and RMAN backups provide robust data protection. Cloning and restore features facilitate efficient testing and development processes, and resizing capabilities allow databases to scale according to business needs. High availability and disaster recovery features ensure that databases remain operational, even in unexpected events.

Data Management

Data management is a critical aspect of any database operation, and Tessell offers advanced data management features such as data masking, data export/import, and backup compliance. These features enhance data security and compliance, ensuring that sensitive information is protected and data operations adhere to industry standards. By implementing data masking, organizations can protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, reducing the risk of data breaches.

Data export/import features streamline data migration and integration processes, allowing organizations to move data between environments efficiently. Backup compliance ensures that all backup operations meet regulatory and industry standards, providing peace of mind and reducing compliance-related risks. Tessell’s advanced data management features empower organizations to manage their data more effectively, enhancing security and compliance.

Exadata @ Azure

Exadata is renowned for its high performance and reliability. Tessell ensures that these attributes are maintained in the Azure environment by providing first-class and comprehensive support for Exadata @ Azure, including complete database lifecycle management, encompassing proactive monitoring and maintenance, backups, patching, and cloning.

• Complete database lifecycle management: Proactive monitoring and maintenance ensures that databases perform optimally. 
• Patching and backups: Patching and backups are managed seamlessly, reducing administrative overhead and ensuring that databases remain secure and up-to-date. 
• Cloning: Cloning capabilities facilitate efficient testing and development
• Disaster recovery: DR features to ensure business continuity. 

Tessell’s first-class support for Exadata @ Azure enables organizations to leverage Exadata's full power in a cloud environment.

Azure NetApp Files (ANF)

Azure NetApp File, a robust and scalable storage solution for Oracle databases, offers organizations superior performance and scalability for their database operations, making it ideal for demanding database workloads. Tessell also provides first-class support for Azure NetApp Files, including advanced features such as high availability, disaster recovery, and seamless integration with Oracle databases:

• High availability: Tessell HA features to ensure databases remain accessible during maintenance or unexpected events. 
• Disaster recovery: Tessell DR capabilities provide robust protection against data loss 
• Seamless integration: Tessell seamlessly integrates with Oracle databases, simplifying management and reducing complexity. 

Tessell’s first-class support for ANF empowers organizations to optimize their storage infrastructure and enhance overall performance.

Conclusion

Migrating Oracle databases to Azure can be a complex and challenging process. However, with Tessell’s comprehensive support and advanced features, organizations can achieve a seamless and efficient transition. From zero downtime and zero data loss migration to flexible licensing and advanced data management, Tessell provides the tools and expertise to lift and shine your Oracle databases in the cloud. By partnering with Tessell, organizations can unlock the full potential of their Oracle workloads on Azure, driving innovation, efficiency, and growth.