Life after Oracle: Redefining Java in the enterprise in 2024

Ignore the cool kids. 2024 will see Java redefine its value to enterprise

Life after Oracle: Redefining Java in the enterprise in 2024

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Life after Oracle: Redefining Java in the enterprise in 2024

I have been working with Java for more than 25 years and witnessed first-hand its dramatic expansion to now dominate enterprise infrastructure environments.

Quite often, if a technology reaches a position of dominance, the obvious next question is can it sustain its market share? Contrary to some commentary, I believe Java will not only maintain its leading role, but 2024 will see a significant shift in CIOs' understanding of its relevance in the age of digital technologies, agile development and the move to the cloud.

As part of the senior leadership team at a company 100% focused on Java, it has given me a deep appreciation of why the use case for the technology remains strong and how it has adapted to remain relevant. In 2024, we are going to see Java redefine, and underline, its value to the enterprise so while the "cool kids" are talking up other languages, I would argue there is a major opportunity for users who are prepared to build up their understanding of the technology to develop exciting new opportunities in the year ahead.

Oracle's waning influence on Java innovation

Let's face it, 2023 didn't start well for Java, with Oracle insisting on changing its licencing model to employee-based pricing. It left a bitter taste for many, as the model penalises organisations in sectors such as retail and travel where only a handful of IT staff are using Java. The good news is that this change is encouraging the growth of commercial support packages for Java.

More critical is the implied message that Oracle is sending to its customers. It suggests the company is happy to continue extracting Java licencing revenues, and even if some disgruntled customers leave it will still make enough money to avoid the need to row back on its decision.

Whatever way you may perceive this situation, the reality is that Oracle will continue to own the trademark and play a critical role in deciding the roadmap. But just as Linux gave birth to companies offering Linux distributions, something similar is happening with Java. Companies such as Azul give users choice in how they manage their relationship with Java and will help to contribute to the tempo of innovation. The role of standards such as the Java Community Process provide a structure and rigour to maintaining existing code and submitting innovations. Combined with the move to six monthly releases, new features are being delivered more quickly, allowing Java to address developer pain point points more dynamically.

Should I stay with Oracle or leave?

According to Azul's 2023 State of Java Report, globally 72% are considering migrating from Oracle Java to a non-Oracle distribution and 60% are already using a non-Oracle OpenJDK. This, though, is not the right question, even if users are angry about the sudden change in the pricing model. The more important conundrum is understanding how best to optimise the use of Java, particularly in the cloud. The reality is that the technology is everywhere, with users adopting both Oracle and non-Oracle versions (built from OpenJDK). In our study, 83% revealed 40% or more of all their applications are Java-based and 98% of respondents use Java in software or infrastructure. More than half (57%) say it is the backbone of a majority of their applications.

In turn, this is creating bigger challenges for users than whether to stay with Oracle. In particular, the issues of overpaying for capacity in the public cloud and managing the complexity of multiple versions of Java.

In our report, 90% of global respondents were using Java in a public, private or hybrid cloud environment, and chose the public cloud because of the scalability, flexibility and productivity it offered. However, 41% say they are using less than 60% of the public cloud capacity they pay for and 69% are paying for unused cloud capacity. With the right level of optimisation, it is possible to improve throughput and reducing warm-up times when spinning up Java instances.

There is a significant challenge with version complexity, as 64% of respondents to the State of Java report admitted to using more than one version of Java. Forty-three percent say they use at least one version that is no longer commercially supported by Oracle, with 15% admitting to using Java 6 and 7. In light of the Log4Shell vulnerability, reducing this complexity is not just about optimising performance, but about insuring against the very real threat of cyberattacks.

Java has an ecosystem built to last in an unpredictable world

At a time when much of our world is unpredictable, it is reassuring for CIOs that Java remains robust and vibrant. If you are running mission-critical applications on any infrastructure, you want to know that it will be supported to ensure high availability. Equally, you want to know that continuous innovation is happening to ensure the technology remains relevant:

All these different technologies demonstrate a vibrant ecosystem which is critical to sustaining the relevance of Java in the years ahead. And this presents an exciting opportunity for coders and technologists who are entrepreneurial enough to spot an opportunity. Java is everywhere in the enterprise underpinning mission-critical environments, which cannot fall over. Whether it is ensuring Java-based infrastructures are optimised to avoid overspending in the cloud or simplifying complexity to avoid cyberattacks, there is very real work, and therefore demand for Java skills. Add to this all the exciting developments in the open-source community in terms of frameworks, libraries and tools, and 2024 will see Java launch many long careers in IT at the cutting edge of innovation.

Who needs Python?

Simon Ritter is deputy CTO at Azul