EDB Boosts Channel Program Offerings As It Expands Data Platform Sales For AI, Analytics Tasks

As part of its effort to extend sales of its Postgres data platform beyond its transaction processing roots, EDB is offering solution providers, systems integrators, ISVs and other partners more training and go-to-market assistance.

EDB has expanded its channel program, including increasing investments to raise partners’ expertise and go-to-market capabilities, as the company looks to boost adoption of its Postgres-based database platform for more data analytics and AI applications.

The company has also launched a new partner portal and “industry success hub” repository of vertical industry customer case studies that partners can draw on.

The upgraded EDB Partner Program is the company’s latest move as it looks to grow beyond its roots of providing a transaction-oriented, Oracle-compatible database to developing a comprehensive data and AI platform.

EDB, “EnterpriseDB” before a 2020 re-branding, is a long-time player in the database arena with its software based on the open-source PostgreSQL database. For many years the vendor was focused on developing an open-source alternative to the Oracle Database, particularly for OLTP (online transaction processing) applications.

But EDB has been shooting higher for the last 18 months following the appointment of former Wind River CEO Kevin Dallas as the database company’s new CEO in August 2023.

In May 2024 EDB launched EDB Postgres AI, a major update of its flagship database that can handle transactional, analytical and AI workloads. The new database offers such capabilities as rapid analytics for transactional data, intelligent observability, support for vector databases, and continuous high availability.

EDB said EDB Postgres AI meets the growing demand for systems that can handle hybrid data workloads. The EDB database can be deployed as on-premises software, within a physical appliance, or in the cloud.

“Postgres SQL is an increasingly important platform for our customers and having easy access to products and services in a one-stop shop for our Postgres AI and data needs is essential. Having EDB Postgres AI is a step forward,” says Cheryl Day, senior vice president, new vendor acquisition and global solutions at distributor TD Synnex, in a statement.

EDB works with a range of partners including VARs and solution providers, systems integrators, cloud service providers, ISVs and technical partners, according to Alan Lindsay, global alliances and channel leader. VARs and value-added distributors alone account for a majority of EDB’s revenue and over the last year the company has increased the number of resellers it works with by 70 percent.

Generally speaking, “the overwhelming majority” of the company’s business is somehow touched by the channel, Lindsay said in an interview with CRN.

With the channel program additions and enhancements, EDB is “doubling down” on its partners to help sell the company’s platform – especially for complex, mission-critical workloads in OLTP, analytics and AI, Lindsay said.

“That's part of this announcement, investing in this part of our program to make sure that that part of our business has the right tools and technologies and training and go-to-market programs that are going to set them up for more scale and success,” the channel chief said. “There's an intent to significantly ramp up [channel sales] even further as we see it as a critical part of our go to market.”

The enhanced EDB Partner Program is designed to provide on-demand support throughout the entire sales lifecycle, from deal creation to closure and post-sales success, according to the Wilmington, Del.-based company.

Topping the list of program additions are new training and certification services and technical guidance around AI and Postgres. EDB is the biggest development contributor to the open-source PostgreSQL database and so is recognized for its depth of Postgres expertise.

“We've got a deep library of both go-to-market and technical guidance from EDB’s team of experts,” Lindsay said. “And as you may know, we've got the largest concentration of Postgres technologists worldwide. So that's super valuable.”

Through the expanded channel program, EDB is now investing two-thirds of its total go-to-market motions toward partner enablement and co-selling efforts, including providing new rebate programs, strategic sales plays and market development funds to help partners sell and close deals, Lindsay said.

EDB, for example, is currently running a global, multi-city roadshow to provide current and prospective partners with a technology roadmap for the EDB platform, information about current market drivers, and guidance on potential solutions and services opportunities. This week the company is holding a partner event in London, U.K.

EDB looks to improve partners’ digital experience working with the company through a new partner portal – now operational – that offers a range of services including onboarding, deal registration, training, real-time reporting and business insights, the company said.

“Every day, customers and partners ask us how to merge their data and AI in new and existing workloads. It’s a complex process, and this portal gives our ecosystem access to the content, tools, and processes that make this a much easier reality,” said Mahdi Tehrani, senior product and alliance management at Redington, a Chennai, India-based technology integrator and EDB strategic partner, in a statement.

And EDB has assembled an “industry success hub” with use cases and customer success stories about EDB Postgres AI implementations within vertical industries, including financial services and telecommunications.

“We're trying to make sure that the partners have not only the technology know-how, but [the technology] in the right context to tell the right story for customers,” Lindsay told CRN.

“EDB Postgres AI is increasingly the right platform for our customers and now our people can access all the tools, enablement, and certification in a single hub to help our team open up doors and service the needs of our customers, when, where, and how we need to,” said Frank Mulligan, U.K. general manager at Prolifics, a digital engineering and transformation service provider that partners with EDB.