Azul launches TAP program to boost innovation in Java ecosystem
Azul has announced the launch of the Azul Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) Program, a global initiative designed to build collaboration with technology providers and expand the Java solutions ecosystem.
The TAP program introduces a formal structure for technical integrations, solution development, and coordinated market activities between Azul and its alliance partners. Through the program, participants receive access to Azul's products and expertise, opportunities for joint marketing, and involvement with Azul's sales teams and channels. This initiative forms a part of the broader PartnerConnect Program, which also includes solution providers, authorised value-added resellers, and authorised distributors.
Independent software vendors (ISVs) participating in TAP gain benefits including technical collaboration with Azul's product managers and engineers, support for integrating and optimising solutions, and access to resources designed to assist product development. Partners also have access to joint marketing initiatives, new market segments, and broader customer bases, along with support from the wider Java community.
The TAP program is structured around four principal areas: developer tools and productivity, DevOps efficiency, business benefit and productivity software, and cloud cost and infrastructure savings. The aim is to integrate Java technologies to streamline code and operations, optimise deployment in cloud environments, and increase the value derived from Java investments.
The first members of the TAP program include companies specialising in supply chain security, software development, and application modernisation. Azul has said it will continue growing the program by bringing in new partners throughout 2025 across several technology areas.
Customer impact
According to Azul, organisations are already experiencing direct business benefits from collaborations fostered by the TAP program.
One case involves Moderne, a technology provider focused on code remediation and modernisation. A global online employment marketplace leveraged Moderne's OpenRewrite-based platform and Azul's Intelligence Cloud to identify and remove unused code. The task, estimated to require 21 person-years, was completed in days through automation.
"Modernizing enterprise Java applications is a massive challenge. Moderne enables our customers to tackle technical debt at scale - bringing entire fleets of applications forward in parallel," said Jonathan Schneider, CEO and co-founder of Moderne. "Partnering with Azul gives us the real-time data to drive transformations across codebases faster and with greater confidence."
Another example cited by Azul features Payara, which assisted a large securities industry foundation in migrating its financial education platform. By moving to Payara Platform Enterprise, which incorporates Azul Platform Core and Prime as the default JVMs, the foundation was able to increase user capacity per machine by 2.5 times and unlock further scalability.
"Payara is committed to delivering cloud-native Java solutions for global enterprises, from powerful runtimes to Payara Qube - our Kubernetes-native automation platform that simplifies and scales Java deployments," said Steve Millidge, CEO and founder of Payara. "The Azul TAP program creates exciting opportunities for deeper collaboration that brings customers better performance, stronger security and more choice across their Java deployments."
The TAP program has also seen involvement from RapidFort. A United States wealth management firm utilised RapidFort containers embedded with Azul Java runtimes to improve security and developer productivity. By focusing remediation only on vulnerabilities affecting their applications, while allowing RapidFort and Azul to manage the rest, the firm experienced a significant acceleration in deployment velocity.
"Performance and security go hand in hand, especially in cloud environments where efficiency is critical," said George Manuelian, co-founder of RapidFort. "By joining Azul's TAP program, we're giving enterprises the ability to optimize Java workloads with a dramatically smaller attack surface and lower cloud costs."
Partner and company vision
George Gould, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Alliances at Azul, said:
"Java remains the backbone of modern enterprise and cloud-native applications, and at Azul, our mission is to give enterprises more - more performance, more value and more choice. The Technology Alliance Partner Program is a powerful catalyst for innovation, enabling Azul and our ecosystem partners to co-create solutions that streamline development and operations, as well as make Java run more securely and more cost-effectively across today's distributed environments. By aligning with technology leaders who share our vision, we can help our joint customers boost application performance, reduce costs and enhance security across their Java landscape."
The TAP program will continue to expand with further technology sector partners, focusing on strengthening the Java application and infrastructure ecosystem for businesses globally.
