Azul Core Helps Sasol Reduce Java Licensing Costs by 92% While Improving Security and Compliance

Leading energy and chemicals company standardizes 150+ mission-critical applications across 7,000 devices and 200 servers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Azul, the trusted leader in enterprise Java for today’s AI and cloud-first world, today announced that Sasol, a global integrated chemicals and energy company headquartered in South Africa, has standardized more than 150 business-critical Java applications on Azul Core. The migration, completed in partnership with Optim-G, eliminated costly Oracle licensing fees, reduced total Java licensing costs by 92% and strengthened Sasol’s security and compliance posture across 7,000 devices and 200 servers.

Sasol relies on Java to power its applications that support approximately $14 billion in annual turnover. Java is deeply embedded in the company’s IT landscape, ensuring smooth operations and mitigating the risk of potential production disruptions, shutdowns, or safety incidents.

Escalating Costs and Security Risks Threatened Business Operations

Before selecting Azul, Sasol faced growing risks and costs tied to its Java environment that directly impacted business operations:

• Escalating costs: Oracle’s unpredictable and changing license model for Java SE drove significant and unplanned expenses.
• Compliance complexity: Complex Oracle licensing terms and audit exposure carried legal and financial risk.
• Security concerns: Unsupported or outdated Java versions, including Java 6 and 7 and Java applets, left Sasol increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats and potential penalties under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and South Africa’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Act.

Because Sasol relies on Java for essential operations, addressing these escalating risks, cost, compliance and security was a strategic imperative.

“Azul enabled us to take control of and future-proof our Java environment — reducing Java license costs by 92% while improving security and compliance,” said Shailendra Nathoo, senior lead for IT asset management at Sasol. “Migrating more than 150 applications from Oracle Java to Azul was smooth and well-supported thanks to Azul’s responsive engineering team and our partners at Optim-G. The migration has given us a more cost-effective and better supported Java environment for innovation and digital transformation.”

Azul Core Delivers Security, Compliance and Cost Savings

After an introduction by Optim-G, Sasol’s IT services partner specializing in optimization, automation and digital transformation, Sasol evaluated and successfully deployed Azul Core to standardize its Java runtime environment including Java 6, Java 7 and the Java Plugin for applets, which are no longer under Oracle Java SE Long-Term Support (LTS). Following a successful two-month proof-of-value test, Sasol migrated from Oracle Java to Azul across its enterprise between April and September 2025. Azul provided hands-on engineering support, while Optim-G ensured operational alignment and service management throughout the project.

“Sasol’s migration underscores the growing momentum of enterprises across EMEA moving away from Oracle’s unpredictable Java licensing model,” said James Johnston, vice president of EMEA at Azul. “By partnering with Azul and Optim-G, Sasol not only reduced costs but also strengthened security, ensured compliance and maintained full operational continuity—all while future-proofing their Java environment for ongoing digital transformation.”

Learn more about Azul Core here.

FAQs

How can enterprises reduce Oracle Java licensing costs without disrupting operations?

Enterprises can significantly reduce Oracle Java licensing costs by migrating to a commercially supported OpenJDK distribution such as Azul Core, which provides the same Java SE compatibility, long-term support, and security updates without restrictive licensing or unpredictable pricing. Sasol, a global energy and chemicals company, reduced its Java licensing costs by 92% after migrating more than 150 business-critical applications to Azul across 7,000 devices and 200 servers with no disruption to operations.

Is it safe to migrate legacy Java applications, including Java 6 and Java 7, away from Oracle?

Yes. Azul Core provides long-term support for older Java versions, including Java 6, Java 7, and Java applets, which Oracle no longer covers under Java SE Long-Term Support (LTS). Organizations running unsupported versions face growing security vulnerabilities and compliance risks. Azul delivers ongoing security patches for these legacy versions, enabling enterprises to maintain compliance with regulations such as GDPR and South Africa's Critical Infrastructure Protection Act while modernizing at their own pace.

What should enterprises look for in a Java migration partner?

Enterprises should look for a vendor offering full Java SE compatibility, long-term support across all Java versions in use, responsive engineering support during migration, and predictable licensing. An experienced IT services partner can also streamline the transition — Sasol completed its enterprise-wide migration from Oracle to Azul Core in approximately five months with hands-on support from Azul's engineering team and IT services partner Optim-G, maintaining full operational continuity throughout.

About Azul

Azul is the trusted leader in enterprise Java for today’s AI and cloud-first world. Its open source-based Java platform empowers organizations to optimize the entire Java lifecycle to accelerate performance, strengthen security, reduce licensing and cloud costs, and boost developer productivity. Azul powers mission-critical systems for 36% of the Fortune 100, 50% of the Forbes Top Ten World’s Most Valuable Brands, and the world’s top 10 financial trading companies. Learn more at azul.com and follow @azulsystems.​