Actian is pulling together the pieces of acquisitions it made earlier this year with the launch of Actian Big Data Cloud Platform and ParAccel Big Data Analytics platforms.
The Actian Data Cloud Platform, developed with technology from the company’s Pervasive Software acquisition, is a network of connectors designed to integrate data from on-premise systems. Mike Hoskins, CTO of Actian, says the company has enhanced the platform with a new level of security. But the emphasis is on what the company describes as “invisible integration.”
With its acquisition of ParAccel, also in April, Actian developed the ParAccel Big Data Analytics Platform, which moves data into an analytics pipeline where it is analyzed at scale. It uses its parallel computing capability and a Hadoop file system to store the data.
ParAccel made a mark with its analytics database. Used by Amazon Redshift, the service acts as a data warehouse in the cloud and is designed to help companies keep pace with the endless data stream that continues to increase in volume and come in all shapes and varieties. ParAccel uses parallel computing to process and analyze the information as it pours in from different sources.
Actian is competing in a space that is getting ever more competitive with the increasing number of startups that are building connector platforms. SnapLogic, for example, has built a collection of “snaps” to connect enterprise, on-premise software with SaaS technologies. Mulesoft also has a data-integration platform, and Zapier has built its own self-service connector system.
Combined, Actian’s Data Cloud and ParAccel platforms look like a potent package for what Hoskins calls this new age of data.
Age of data? I can agree with that. But with the age of data comes a whole new spectrum of data integration and analytics platforms. Actian is one of those companies that has strong, complete offerings. But with so many services coming online, the challenge will be in competing with companies that, while they may not have it all, they do have enough to get the job done.