EnterpriseDB adding new cloud option for PostgreSQL database

IDG News Service - Companies looking to move database operations to public and private clouds will soon have another option in the form of Postgres Plus Cloud Server, EnterpriseDB announced Thursday.

EnterpriseDB's Postgres Plus Standard Server and Postgres Plus Advanced Server products are based on the open-source PostgreSQL database, with advanced features layered on the core code.

The upcoming Cloud Server product features a Web-based interface for managing clusters of database nodes. It includes automatic load balancing and failover, provides various monitoring functions and allows for online backups and "point-in-time" database recovery.

It will be available in standard and advanced editions, the latter of which includes EnterpriseDB's compatibility layer for Oracle's database, which allows Oracle workloads to be migrated over to EnterpriseDB, albeit not necessarily in exact form.

Cloud Server will initially be available on Amazon EC2, with support for other clouds, such as GoGrid, coming later, said Karen Tegan Padir, vice president of products and marketing.

Private cloud support is limited to the GPL version of Eucalyptus' private cloud software, Padir said.

Cloud Server can also be deployed in traditional data centers that don't use a cloud architecture.

It will enter beta in September, with general availability of version 1.0 planned for November, Padir said.

A few customers have signed up for the beta, but EnterpriseDB is hoping to get some more involved. The company is confident the market will respond, according to Padir.

"We're building this because there's absolute demand for it," she said.

EnterpriseDB already offers Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), virtual appliances with which developers can quickly install the database on EC2. Cloud Server's management and provisioning capabilities build on that effort, Padir said.

Pricing hasn't been determined yet for any of the Cloud Server versions.

EnterpriseDB may face challenges getting customers to bite, particularly Oracle shops, said analyst Curt Monash of Monash Research.

"Migrating from Oracle to EnterpriseDB at the same time as you migrate to the cloud would seem pretty risky," he said. "I'm not sure there are many realistic use cases for that."

Moreover, multiple versions of Oracle's database are already available on Amazon, giving those customers a ready option should they wish to experiment with cloud deployments, he noted.

Padir called Cloud Server a "very low-risk" option for Oracle shops considering a move to EnterpriseDB.

Deploying in a cloud means that customers wouldn't have to dedicate specific machines to a test and migration environment, she said.