Open Source Big Data: DataStax Expands Cassandra, Hadoop Business in Europe

Big Data is becoming a big deal beyond the United States, and it’s time for the international channel to pay attention. The latest evidence: DataStax, which provides enterprise database management services based on open-source software. The company is making an aggressive push into the European market in what may be the first move toward a greater presence throughout the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region as a whole.

DataStax, which is based in California and counts 20 Fortune 100 companies among its customers, distributes an integrated Big Data platform based on the open-source technologies Cassandra, Hadoop and Solr, all of which are developed by the Apache Foundation. It focuses on database scalability and reliability, and has been particularly innovative in the NoSQL trend.

DataStax established a European subsidiary in the first quarter of 2013. Today the company began moving more aggressively to expand its European operations with several new iniatives. 

First, it will organize an event focused on Cassandra this fall called the London Cassandra Summit, which will feature “a full lineup of speaking sessions showing how leading enterprises use Cassandra to transform their businesses. Attendees can learn best practices from leaders in the field and learn how to push development boundaries, deliver new solutions and even receive DataStax Cassandra Developer Certification.”

Second, DataStax is offering Cassandra development and training sessions for Cassandra in London and Paris this summer. The Paris session will run June 6-7, 2013 and the London ones on July 15-16 and 17-18, 2013.

Finally, the company is organizing meet-ups for Cassandra progammers across the EMEA region, with the goal of “bringing new and experienced members of the community together to share best practices during meetups.”

Like some other vendors in the Cassandra/Hadoop/NoSQL space, DataStax is seeing vital new opportunities for meeting the demands of an international Big Data market.

Alongside the expansion into Europe of other channel players focused on open-source software for enterprises, these iniatives highlight the increasingly global dimensions of these rapidly emerging technologies.