Oracle launches air-gapped cloud for security & sovereignty
This offering is positioned to address the requirements of agencies and industries with significant mission-critical security and compliance obligations, including sectors such as defence, intelligence, telecommunications, and healthcare. Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated has been launched as a deployable option that can be separated from the internet, a configuration commonly required to support sensitive and classified workloads.
Security and sovereignty
The new service is engineered to mitigate the risk of external threats, with a focus on data sovereignty tailored for entities with strict regulatory and security needs. According to Oracle, this is an area of particular importance in Australia and New Zealand, where national security and data handling regulations are strong priorities for government and critical infrastructure operators.
Matt Leonard, Vice President, Edge Cloud Product Management at Oracle, said: "Protecting national security has always been a top priority for Oracle. Oracle Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated is designed to help regulated industries benefit from the cloud and AI, while also providing the flexibility to deploy anywhere."
Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated provides organisations with access to the same compute, storage, and networking capabilities available from Oracle's existing Compute Cloud@Customer offering, but adds the option for an isolated deployment. This is intended to enhance organisations' abilities to accelerate artificial intelligence development and improve efficiency, whilst maintaining comprehensive data sovereignty and control over the underlying infrastructure.
Deployment flexibility
The system can be installed as a single rack and scaled up according to need, granting government and regulated sector customers the ability to quickly deploy Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Compute services on their own premises—in isolated environments designed for locations with unique sovereignty demands. This capability is expected to make it viable for defence users and other sensitive operations to begin or expand cloud migration in regions where mission requirements dictate the need for air-gapped technology.
Oracle presents multiple migration paths, including a Fast-Start option, which can deliver the Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated service on premises within six to eight weeks. This pathway allows customers to later develop a full Oracle Cloud Isolated Region as their requirements evolve. Alternatively, customers can take a phased approach, progressing from edge computing solutions, through isolated cloud deployments, and up towards a fully disconnected Oracle Cloud Isolated Region.
This Isolated Region is entirely separate from public clouds and the wider internet, designed to provide control and security specifically demanded by defence and other regulated clients.
Partner comments
Andy Laidler, Chief Digital Officer for Fujitsu Defence and National Security, addressed the importance of robust and portable connectivity for organisations whose operational backbone now depends on digital services: "As digital services become the operational backbone—from logistics to command and control—forces need connectivity that moves with the mission. Fujitsu's Secure Cloud solution incorporates the full range of Oracle deployment options to ensure we deliver capability where it is needed most. Oracle Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated provides a secure, isolated environment and access to data anywhere, anytime, and under all conditions to help propel mission success."
The Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated service will be made available globally later in the year, expanding Oracle's suite of cloud infrastructure offerings to clients operating under the world's most stringent data control laws.
Follow us on:
Share on:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Techday NZ
3 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Exclusive: CIO says AI breaks the cycle of forced ERP upgrades
CIOs are no longer bound to the treadmill of forced ERP upgrades. That was the message from Joe Locandro, Executive Vice President and Global CIO at Rimini Street, who argued that artificial intelligence and third-party support are reshaping the economics and strategy of enterprise software. "We're going to keep our Snowflake data warehouse intact. I'm not putting any more in," Locandro said. "Any other data I need, I just go to the source system. The financial system is always up to date. It's going to be more up to date than whatever I put in a data warehouse." He explained that the rise of agentic AI has changed how companies can work with their systems. "Why do you need to pull all the data into one place if you can get an agent to go every day, every hour, and pick what you need?" he asked. "Technical debt used to mean, if you're three versions out of date, it's not supportable and it hinders innovation. That's no longer true." At Rimini Street, Locandro said, old systems are not liabilities but assets to be preserved and supported. "All these ERPs we support, we patch them, we keep them current, ECC6 for example, all the way to 2040," he explained. Supporting the ageing workforce A key challenge is the loss of specialist knowledge as experienced IT professionals retire. "Those old manufacturing systems are really maintained by my age group in the 60s and beyond," Locandro said. "You've got three or four people in each company who only know it, and they're really critical. It's not about the systems so much as the ageing workforce to support them." To address this, Rimini Street provides custom support alongside its work with standard ERPs. "Now people like me and other CIOs, we have alternatives," Locandro said. "Why don't you self-fund your innovation through third-party support?" Savings are significant, he argued. "For example, in ECC6 the support from the database is usually around about 40 per cent cheaper, and then you move up the stack to managed services and applications. If you had a $2 million bill for maintenance on Oracle, we can get it done for far less," he said. Innovation without compromise Locandro rejected the idea that cost savings come at the expense of innovation. "The beauty is the way AI innovation works nowadays, the agents go through what we call a data fabric layer. It builds up like a data dictionary," he explained. This means AI can connect to disparate systems without requiring costly migrations. "Just as it trolls the internet, it trolls internally," he said. "In the future, CIOs will just get plug-and-play apps for what they need. Payment gateways, CRMs, stock inventory - everything's getting more granular." He likened the shift to the app revolution in consumer technology. "In the old days, there was no such thing as an Apple app. Now look how many apps there are. It's the same thing with enterprise systems," he said. Security and cost pressures Rimini Street has also launched Remedy Protect, a wrapper that secures legacy systems without changing their core. "We've got a smart group of engineers. They're like a special ops company," Locandro said. "When you go to the board and they ask about technical debt, you can say not only is it supported, but security exposure is going down too. It's a double whammy." With corporate IT budgets under intense pressure, cost control is driving decision-making. "My budget couldn't cope with 20 per cent increases on Microsoft licences and 300 per cent increases on VMware," he said. "So I went to Rimini Street as a customer. That's where I got my cost relief and kept my budget flat." The company's global footprint, with centres in Brazil, India, the US and soon Malaysia, supports 24/7 monitoring. "We have a response time of less than 10 minutes for priority issues," Locandro said. "If something goes bang in the night, your internal teams can't answer it in 10 minutes because they're asleep. We're always watching." The vendor squeeze Locandro criticised major ERP vendors for restrictive upgrade policies. "The upgrade is never a customer choice. It's a vendor imperative," he said. "They say 2027 you're unsupported, so you have to upgrade." He pointed to SAP's Rise programme, which requires companies to strip out customisations and surrender perpetual licences. "I've spent 50 million making this system regulatory compliant. Now you're telling me I can't take it across? I've got to strip it and redevelop it?" he said. "Boards see it as a one-way bet. There's no optionality." Even some system integrators, he noted, are partnering with Rimini Street despite conflicting strategies. "They told us, if we introduce you to keep the landscape afloat until the customer's ready, maybe they'll give us the big project later," he said. Choice, not compulsion For Locandro, the bigger picture is about shifting power back to customers. "AI is now breaking the nexus with forced upgrades. The traditional path versus the smart path - that's the paradigm shift," he said. Companies can now decide whether to sweat assets, build new functionality on top, or adopt new modules only when needed. "It's like a banking system. It works fine. Leave it be. If you want new functionality, do what the banks do - put a new mobile app on top. It's cheaper, quicker, and avoids endless audits and regression tests," he explained. He said boards are now weighing IT investments against core business priorities more sharply than ever. "If I had $100 million, would I put it in a plant that needs to produce more, or would I give it to you for an IT system and wait five years?" he asked. Locandro concluded with a warning for software vendors: "I never had a choice before. Now I do. I'm not forced to a vendor timetable or road map anymore. I get choice, and that's the game-changer."
Techday NZ
4 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Oracle expands AI features with GPT-5 integration across cloud apps
Oracle has implemented OpenAI's GPT-5 model across its database and cloud application portfolio, enabling customers to apply generative AI to a broad range of business processes. The deployment spans the company's core platforms, including Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, Oracle NetSuite, and Oracle Industry Applications such as Oracle Health. Through these changes, businesses can use GPT-5 to search and analyse vast datasets and access AI-driven features directly within familiar environments - including SQL interfaces. AI integration GPT-5 has been designed by OpenAI to perform advanced code generation, editing, debugging, and to deliver sophisticated reasoning within enterprise settings. Oracle now offers GPT-5 capabilities in three API sizes to meet diverse scalability and performance needs, with availability also through ChatGPT Enterprise. The enhanced AI tools are targeted at making automation smoother, helping businesses streamline repetitive tasks, accelerate coding and documentation, and improve the speed and quality of decision-making through clearer business recommendations. Business process impact Oracle said its deployment of GPT-5 would enhance multi-step reasoning and orchestration across key business processes, significantly accelerate code-related workflows, and advance the accuracy of insights and advice derived from company data. "The combination of industry-leading AI for data capabilities of Oracle Database 23ai and GPT-5 will help enterprises achieve breakthrough insights, innovations, and productivity," said Kris Rice, Senior Vice President, Database Software Development, Oracle. "Oracle AI Vector and Select AI together with GPT-5 enable easier and more effective data search and analysis. Oracle's SQLcl MCP Server enables GPT-5 to easily access data in Oracle Database. These capabilities enable users to search across all their data, run secure AI-powered operations, and use generative AI directly from SQL - helping to unlock the full potential of AI on enterprise data." GPT-5's integration allows users to perform intelligent data searches, receive AI-augmented answers, and work directly with AI tools inside standard business applications and workflow environments. Specific benefits highlighted by Oracle include enhanced daily task automation, improved clarity in business advice, and faster software development cycles, encompassing code writing and bug resolution. Meeten Bhavsar, Senior Vice President, Applications Development, Oracle, commented on how the new AI will affect Fusion Applications users. "GPT-5 will bring our Fusion Applications customers OpenAI's sophisticated reasoning and deep-thinking capabilities," said Meeten Bhavsar, Senior Vice President, Applications Development, Oracle. "The newest model from OpenAI will be able to power more complex AI agent-driven processes with capabilities that enable advanced automation, higher productivity, and faster decision making." Security and scalability Oracle stated that it is focusing on the integration of advanced AI with enterprise data while maintaining high standards for security, adaptability, and scalability. The company's AI framework is designed to ensure that customers can leverage generative and agentic AI for scenarios with immediate relevance to their sector, aiming to provide measurable improvements in operational efficiency and results. The approach is expected to be relevant across a variety of industries, supporting businesses in deploying AI in a manner tailored to their specific needs while remaining cost-effective. Follow us on: Share on:
Techday NZ
4 days ago
- Techday NZ
Oracle & Google Cloud boost AI with Gemini model access
Oracle and Google Cloud have expanded their partnership to provide Oracle customers with direct access to Google's Gemini AI models through the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Generative AI service. The collaboration gives Oracle customers the ability to leverage Gemini 2.5 and its upcoming model family for enterprise-grade applications, including advanced coding, workflow automation, and domain-specific solutions such as MedLM for healthcare. Expanded AI offerings Through the integration, enterprises will have the opportunity to use Gemini's multimodal capabilities, enabling applications that can handle text, code, and industry-specific tasks. Oracle plans further integrations with Google Cloud's Vertex AI, which will make the entire Gemini model suite - including video, image, speech, and music generation - accessible within Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications across various departments such as finance, HR, supply chain, sales, service, and marketing. Oracle customers will also be able to deploy Gemini models using their existing Oracle Universal Credits, potentially simplifying adoption and controlling costs. Use cases and industry impact Gemini models are designed to provide accuracy and performance for enterprise use cases, partly due to their grounding in up-to-date Google Search data, large context windows, and data privacy features. The models can be used for knowledge retrieval, productivity tools, advanced software development, and sector-specific solutions. Specialised industry models like MedLM for healthcare are among the offerings expected for future integration. The presence of these models within existing Oracle platforms aims to streamline the adoption of AI across industries, supporting teams in tasks that range from automating business processes to building AI-powered agents. Customer access and integration With the expanded partnership, Oracle states customers will have more flexibility and choice over the models they use. As future integrations are developed, customers will be able to select from a range of Gemini models via Vertex AI, directly within Oracle's cloud applications ecosystem. "Today, leading enterprises are using Gemini to power AI agents across a range of use cases and industries," said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. "Now, Oracle customers can access our leading models from within their Oracle environments, making it even easier for them to begin deploying powerful AI agents that can support developers, streamline data integration tasks, and much more." Google's Gemini models have been cited for their enterprise suitability due to features such as encryption, privacy controls, and reasoning abilities. Clay Magouyrk, President, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, stated, "Oracle has been intentional in offering model choice curated for the enterprise, spanning open and proprietary models. The availability of Gemini on OCI Generative AI service highlights our focus on delivering powerful, secure, and cost-effective AI solutions that help customers drive innovation and achieve their business goals." Performance and scalability Oracle continues to position its infrastructure as a foundation for running intensive AI workloads. According to the companies, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure offers specialised, cost-effective GPU instances suitable for applications in generative AI, natural language processing, computer vision, and recommender systems. The collaboration is described as a means for customers to apply generative and agentic AI to business needs, with a focus on meeting enterprise requirements for security, adaptability, and performance. Through this partnership, both companies aim to facilitate the deployment of multimodal and AI agent technologies in a broad range of enterprise scenarios.
