Emerging Vendors

June 19, 2009

Company: Aster Data Systems

Headquarters: San Carlos, Calif.

Technology Sector: Software

Key Product: Aster nCluster

Year Founded: 2005

Number of Channel Partners: 15 to 20 in North America

Ideal Channel Partner: Midmarket-focused solution providers

Why You Should Care: Aster Data Systems develops data management technology that helps customers assemble high-performance analytic databases for data warehousing at a fraction of the cost of proprietary systems.

The Lowdown: Aster Data Systems was started with the goal of developing an alternative to data warehouse software and analytic applications that run on proprietary hardware and can cost many thousands -- and even millions -- of dollars. Founded in 2005 by three students in Stanford University's Ph.D. computer science program, Aster Data developed the core technology for its database software by combining SQL (structured query language) technology with MapReduce, the latter an open-source programming model popularized by Google that's designed for processing huge volumes of data.

Aster nCluster

The result was nCluster, a massive parallel processing analytic database management system that can run on clusters of low-cost, x86-based servers and can scale up to handle multiple petabytes of data, according to the company. Analytical algorithms can be run within the nCluster database, making it easier to analyze all the data in the database rather than just analyzing data samples, as many business intelligence systems do.

Aster Data says all that can be done at a much lower cost than competing technology from Teradata and other vendors, which means its product can be used by midsize businesses which until now couldn't afford such capabilities.

"Our approach has been to tackle these problems and make it extremely easy to work with large databases," said Raj Pai, vice president of strategic alliances, who is responsible for business development and reseller and OEM partnerships. "You can solve big-data problems without buying proprietary big-hardware systems."

Formally launched in May 2008, Aster Data got a break when the MySpace social networking site adopted nCluster to analyze hundreds of terabytes of data generated by user traffic to help the company understand how customers use and interact with the Web site.

Now Aster Data is ready to expand beyond its early-adopter customers, and it's turning to the channel to do it. The company already has some 15 to 20 solution provider partners and this week launched the Aster Global Partner Program to recruit technology partners, regional systems integrators and ISVs that develop analytical applications on top of nCluster and will refer sales opportunities back to the vendor. The company is seeking partners in North America with expertise in vertical markets such as healthcare and retail, or technology areas such as business intelligence and data management, Pai said.

While channel partners are currently referring customers to Aster Data for sales, some partners have expressed interest in actually reselling nCluster, and Pai said the company will probably begin allowing that later this year. And he said Aster Data is leaving the job of providing customer services to its partners. "Our objective is to be a software provider only, not build a huge services team."