Ingres: Countering MySQL In the Cloud

When it comes to Web 2.0 and cloud-centric databases, lots of folks think first of Oracle’s MySQL. But now, Ingres Corp. says two key partners are pushing the company’s open source database into the cloud. Here are some quick details and observations.

Generally speaking, most folks think of Ingres as a potential on-premises alternative to Oracle databases. But AcuStaf Software and Exadel have found  home for Ingres in the cloud.

AcuStaf Software‘s speciality is a web-based automated scheduling, staffing, and labor management system. In contrast, Exadel provides professional services and application development software. Both companies use Ingres in the cloud software stack.

A case in point: Exadel’s Cloud in a Box is a free open source web services stack that includes Ingres Database, Fedora, RichFaces, Eclipse, JBoss, Apache, and a RichFaces demo, the company says.

So is this part of a larger cloud trend involving Ingres? Hmmm… The VAR Guy isn’t so sure yet. Ingres President and CEO Roger Burkhardt described his company’s momentum in this January 2010 video interview. SaaS and cloud weren’t a huge part of the conversation. But perhaps that’s changing.

In a press release, Ingres states:

Sounds promising. But The VAR Guy must concede: Most times when he hears web hosts describing cloud databases, the conversation involves MySQL. Is Ingres set to change that conversation? Hmmm…