Summary
Azul’s The ITAM/SAM Survey & Report 2025 explored how ITAM and SAM professionals help enterprises migrate from Oracle to OpenJDK. ITAM/SAM are experts in marshaling teams to organize properly, which is a weak spot for many enterprises.
In this post you will learn:
- 40% of participants who are considering migrating from Oracle Java to an open-source alternative said they prefer open-source software
- Two-thirds expect to save at least 40% on Java licensing fees with a non-Oracle Java distribution
- 51% cited security and reliability as primary considerations for moving off Oracle Java
- Many survey participants say ITAM/SAM activities support security initiatives by identifying software that is no longer supported
Your organization is considering migrating from Oracle Java to OpenJDK. Who will you call? Quite often, you should call IT Asset Management (ITAM) and Software Asset Management (SAM) professionals first.
Azul’s The ITAM/SAM Survey & Report 2025 explored many of the challenges and opportunities for IT asset management and software asset management, including helping enterprises migrate from Oracle to OpenJDK. Drawing on fresh data from 500 participants, this report provides ITAM and SAM professionals with a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities shaping their discipline today.
Azul’s 2025 State of Java Survey & Report reveals that 40% of participants who are considering migrating from Oracle Java to an open-source Java distribution said it’s at least partly because they prefer open-source software. Participants in the ITAM/SAM report tell us they prefer open-source software because of software quality and updates [Figure 1]:
Asked to estimate how much migrating from Oracle Java to an open-source solution impacts Java licensing cost, survey participants almost universally said open-source solutions would be less expensive. More than a quarter estimate they could save at least 51% on Java licensing, while only 1% said they expected no savings [Figure 2]. This result underscores the compelling case for open-source Java and why so many participants are migrating off Oracle to an open-source (OpenJDK) alternative.
Security and reliability lead organizations to migrate off Oracle Java
Companies usually move their Java instances from Oracle to OpenJDK to save on license fees while keeping the same security updates as Orace and working with a friendlier partner.
51% of participants in the ITAM/SAM survey cited security and reliability as primary considerations when deciding to move off Oracle Java, followed by cost reduction (including audits, 42%) and simpler compliance (40%).
Why did security rank so high? In the ITAM/SAM survey, 40% of survey participants say ITAM/SAM activities support security initiatives by identifying software that is no longer supported and needs to be patched or updated. In the case of Oracle Java, this includes the end of extended support versions like Java 6 and 7, JavaFX on Java 8, and the Deployment Stack in Java 11 and later.
Among organizations that have already migrated from Oracle Java to an open-source distribution, security plays an even larger role. 57% migrated because of security and reliability, 51% cited cost, and 49% cited scalability [Figure 3]. Concerns over security may be escalated for organizations that have already migrated because they understand the tradeoffs of staying with Oracle or deciding on a regularly patched, commercially supported OpenJDK alternative:
- Choosing to not pay the high cost of Oracle support.
- Choosing to forgo the disruption of upgrading to the latest Java version every three years to continue receiving free Oracle Java support.
- Using Java versions before 8 that Oracle no longer supports.
Figure 3: 57% of participants that have already completed their migrations from Oracle Java to an open-source provider did so because of security and reliability.
Other reasons for migrating off Oracle Java
Survey participants cited other issues with Oracle Java as reasons for migrating away that are more central to ITAM/SAM responsibilities. 73% say they have experienced an Oracle Java audit within the last three years [Figure 4].
On top of licensing costs, organizations must be hypervigilant monitoring their Oracle Java usage. Even a single instance of Oracle Java could prompt an expensive bill from Oracle. More than three-quarters of participants in this survey perform Oracle Java audits at least twice a year, and nearly a quarter do it continuously [Figure 5].
Conclusion
The ITAM/SAM survey focuses on Oracle Java compliance because it has escalated in recent years as one of the most pressing priorities for organizations today. Java is nearly ubiquitous in business-critical enterprise applications, and many organizations find Oracle’s pricing and licensing model deeply troubling. 66% of participants who use Oracle Java estimate they could save at least 40% with open-source Java. This represents a tremendous opportunity.
As the financial and operational burdens of software licensing grow, organizations are recognizing the need for smarter, more collaborative approaches to managing risk and reducing spend. With the right tools and ITAM/SAM support, companies can successfully optimize costs and strengthen compliance — without disrupting critical departmental priorities, including those of engineering and development teams whose time is better spent building great customer experiences and driving business growth.
