IBM Invests in Open-Source Database Firm EnterpriseDBIBM Invests in Open-Source Database Firm EnterpriseDB

IBM has contributed to a new round of funding for EnterpriseDB, and open-source database vendor that competes with Oracle and MySQL. EnterpriseDB also announced new versions of its database software.EnterpriseDB CEO said the funding would be used to ramp up product development and sales. EnterpriseDB makes a version of the open-source relational database PostgreSQL that uses several EnterpriseDB-specific extensions. PostgreSQL is compatible with Oracle, and IBM's investment exemplifies the jockeying for position of competitors to that company: EnterpriseDB positions itself as cheaper than Oracle but more powerful than MySQL, which was bought by Sun Microsystems for $1 billion earlier this year.

Also, EnterpriseDB has introduced a new version of Postgres Plus that contains features specifically tuned for business intelligence applications; and Postgres Plus Advanced Server, which adds advanced features such as dynamic database tuning and audit logging to the base product. Available on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, subscriptions for the two products begin at $995 per socket per year.New York Times