NTT and EnterpriseDB Hook Up to Extend PostgreSQL

In major news on the database front, EnterpriseDB has announced a new strategic partnership with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), the largest telecommunications provider in Japan. Under the partnership, NTT and EnterpriseDB will collaborate on enhancing and extending open source database PostgreSQL, and to drive enterprises to adopt PostgreSQL. The partnership includes an equity investment from NTT in EnterpriseDB.

According to the announcement:

"Under the partnership, NTT and EnterpriseDB will collaborate to enhance and extend PostgreSQL and related technologies, especially in areas such as scalability and high availability, which are of particular importance in large-scale distributed database environments in data centers. NTT and EnterpriseDB will also collaborate to drive enterprises, including the NTT operating companies, to adopt PostgreSQL."

EnterpriseDB specializes in products and services based on PostgreSQL, and provides support and services for companies such as social networking firm hi5 Networks. In the case of hi5 Networks, EnterpriseDB supports one of the largest PostgreSQL installations in the world.

This is yet another example of a topic we discussed yesterday: How big things can come from lash-ups between commercial companies with deep pockets and open source software projects. Sun's acquisition of MySQL was another case of an open source database getting momentum from a big, public company.

In the case of this latest deal, NTT has its own internal motives for extending PostgreSQL. NTT's operating companies are slated to make a major shift to the free and open source database, which is likely to save the company a lot of money during a global economic crisis. It's also clear, though, that PostgreSQL users--especially enterprise users--will benefit without having to make an investment. Everybody wins.