Rocket Software which in 2009 acquired the UniData and UniVerse Servers and Tools (U2) assets from IBM, recently purchased the MultiValue database business from TigerLogic Corporation. Recently Roy Sanford, vice president of sales and marketing, and chief marketing officer at Rocket, and Susie Siegesmund Susie Siegesmund, VP & General Manager, U2 and D3 Product Families at Rocket Software, discussed Rocket’s product plans for the future and where the newly acquired D3 and mvBase products, and associated technologies fit in.
No Forced Migration from D3 to U2, Says Rocket
While there has been market speculation that Rocket might seek to convert D3 or mvBase users to U2, Siegesmund and Sanford assured that was not the case.
“A lot of people have asked if we are combining the databases and the answer is no,” said Siegesmund. “Customers have chosen the database they are on, they love it, it is what runs their business, and we are not about to disrupt that. Customers of course can choose to if they want to, but this is not about consolidation or forced migration.”
With the latest acquisition, Rocket now has four database servers and tools product families. “We like to merge or acquire independent companies and assets from other software companies that will continue to add to our portfolio especially in areas that are synergistic to the markets that we cover,” said Sanford.
Where D3 Fits in Among Rocket Business Units
Rocket’s four core business units are Business Intelligence and analytics; Storage, Networks & Compliance; Application Development, Integration & Modernization; and Database Servers & Tools – which includes four product families – two in the IBM System z space and two in MultiValue.
The Rocket Database Servers & Tools area includes R-DBT database tools for IBM System z under which it develops products which are OEMed by IBM; and Rocket M204, which provides data management solutions to IBM System z users - as well as the U2 MultiValue Database Business and Rocket D3 Database Business that has just been acquired from TigerLogic.
Rocket U2, an already mature business, has grown by 9% during the four years since it was acquired by Rocket and that is the thing that Rocket wants to repeat with Rocket D3, which includes D3, mvBase, and mvEnterprise (D3 optimized for the AIX system), said Siegesmund.
New Database World is All About Functionality
“We are very excited about the synergy that we have with these two product lines,” said Siegesmund. “MultiValue is unique ‘not only SQL technology’ that is perfect for today’s world. We are at an interesting space in the world in that people are beginning to realize that it doesn’t have to be Oracle or SQL Server. It is all about the functionality. It is all about the application that sits on top of the database and how well that fits your business needs. We are really excited to be bringing on new partners and end user customers that rely on this type of technology to run their business everyday. It is fast, scalable, cost-effective with minimal-to-no DBA assistance needed and our customers and partners love the technology.”
Rocket’s Plans for Product Innovation in MultiValue
As proof of its commitment to add features and forge new integrations in the MultiValue space, Siegesmund outlined changes for both the U2 and D3 product lines that customers can expect to see. The company is committed to product innovation, Siegesmund said.
In November 2013, Rocket announced a major new release of UniVerse - 11.2 - which provides account based licensing, audit logging replication performance monitoring and local subroutines/functions.
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