Ingres CEO Analyzes Oracle-MySQL Combo

Ingres_Roger_Burkhardt

The conversation with Burkhardt had two chapters. First up, Burkhardt described the Ingres business model and channel strategy. He claims Ingres is the second-largest open source company — trailing only Red Hat. Hmmm… The VAR Guy will need to check in with Digium and Alfresco (among others) to see if that’s true. Also, Burkhardt described how Ingres rewards its sales team to work with channel partners.

Changing Subjects

Intriguing stuff. But the really interesting dialog begins in chapter two, where Burkhardt shares his views on Oracle’s buyout of Sun, and the potential implications for MySQL.

Alas, The VAR Guy’s team could have done a better job asking some key questions throughout the interview process. For starters: Is Ingres facing competition from EnterpriseDB, another open source database provider? Also, how well is the Open Source Channel Alliance (OSCA) performing so far? When Red Hat and Synnex launched the OSCA in 2009, Ingres was among the first members to sign on.

Still, Burkhardt covers plenty of ground in the two FastChat interviews below. Here they are…

FastChat Video 1: The Ingres Business Strategy

The video covers:

0:00  Introduction
0:15   Where Ingres competes in the database market
1:15    The Ingres channel partner strategy
2:10   How fast is Ingres growing?
2:55   More info
3:09  Conclusion

FastChat Video 2: Burkhardt’s views on Oracle-Sun-MySQL

0:00  Introduction
0:10  Burkhardt’s views on the Oracle-Sun business combination
0:56  What will happen with MySQL – Burkhardt’s opinion
1:22  Is MySQL already reacting to Oracle ownership?
2:00  More Info
2:15  Conclusion

Equal Time

Of course, The VAR Guy plans to offer a range of sources equal time on the Oracle-Sun story. Our resident blogger hopes to speak with EnterpriseDB in the next few days.

And of course, The VAR Guy continues to reach out regularly to Oracle Channel Chief Judson Althoff to hear how the OPN Specialized partner program will engage Sun and MySQL partners. Plus, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is expected to discuss Oracle’s strategy for Sun on January 27.

The VAR Guy will be listening.