PostgreSQL Company Gets CEO From Red Hat

EnterpriseDB, the database company that markets an Oracle-compatible version of open source PostgreSQL, has hired a key Red Hat sales manager as its new CEO.

Ed Boyajian, 45, former Red Hat VP and general manager, North American sales, will become president and CEO of EnterpriseDB effective June 9. He lead sales and field marketing efforts across all Red Hat's commercial segments and channels in North America in his former post during a period when Red Hat grew its revenues by 20% or more a year.

Boyajian also is the previous manager of Red Hat's OEM relationships, establishing strategic partnerships with IBM, HP, Dell and building the company's indirect sales model. He is also a former VP of North American sales for the Eastern region. Boyajian had been at Red Hat for six years.

He will replace Andy Astor, who will become executive VP of business development.

EnterpriseDB is based on the PostgreSQL open source database project, which has produced a more standard SQL compliant system than MySQL, which was recently acquired for $1 billion by Sun Microsystems. The PostgreSQL project represents a large and active development community, but has seldom found an outspoken spokesman to raise its profile among the many contending, relational database options.

"There is a growing gap between the expensive, proprietary database products available today and the entry-level, open source alternatives. The PostgreSQL Plus product family fills that gap beautifully," Boyajian said in a statement announcing his appointment.

He is also the former VP of services and marketing at arsDigita, a supplier of open source collaboration software that was acquired by Red Hat.