Power Play: MariaDB Adds Custom Options, Extensions To Its SkySQL DBaaS

With its new SkySQL Power MariaDB is looking for ways to provide enterprise customers with a way to customize and extend its recently launched Database-as-a-Service offering.

Database software developer MariaDB is expanding the functionality of its recently introduced MariaDB SkySQL Database-as-a-Service, adding the ability for businesses and organizations to customize database options and configurations to meet enterprise-class security, high availability and disaster recovery requirements.

The new MariaDB SkySQL Power offering, available now, is expected to especially appeal to larger enterprises that need to tailor individual instances of the cloud-based database for their own needs, said Shane Johnson, senior director of product marketing at MariaDB.

“We’re simply customizing the SkySQL service for certain customers,” Johnson said in an interview.

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Redwood City, Calif.-based MariaDB, which develops the popular MariaDB relational database, launched the cloud-based MariaDB SkySQL Database-as-a-Service on March 31 for both transactional and business analytics applications. While MariaDB has been available on Amazon Web Services EC2 platform, SkySQL is MariaDB’s first real Database-as-a-Service offering.

SkySQL Foundation, the SkySQL service’s core platform, incorporates the MariaDB Enterprise Server, MariaDB ColumnStore columnar storage engine and MariaDB MaxScale database proxy. SkySQL is architected on Kubernetes and uses a ServiceNow-based portal for inventory, configuration and workflow management.

Database-as-a-Service offerings are growing in popularity. But like many “as-a-service” applications and systems, the ability to customize them and add specific functionality can be limited.

SkySQL Power seeks to overcome those limitations by providing a “power tier” of options, features and extensions to configure database instance types to maximize system efficiency and lower total cost of ownership, according to the company, and meet specific enterprise security, high availability or disaster recovery requirements.

MariaDB will provide cloud-certified architects to work with customers to develop their SkySQL Power requirements and product engineers to implement customized features and configurations. Johnson said the goal is to offer repeatable options and extensions with SkySQL Power, not create long-term service engagements.

While SkySQL Power will appeal to some small and mid-size customers with unique needs, Johnson said the new offering is primarily targeted at large businesses and organizations with enterprise-class requirements.

“With SkySQL Power, we’re listening to our customers instead of telling them how they should work in the cloud,” said Michael Howard, MariaDB CEO, in a statement.

“Traditional DBaaS solutions don’t let enterprises express their uniqueness through their deployments. They offer standard database templates forged from spreadsheets, rather than real usage. With SkySQL, we’re taking a different approach. Our customers get convenience through SkySQL Foundation and, if they have specific requirements, they can get a custom deployment that meets their needs through [SkySQL] Power,” Howard said.

MariaDB works with distributors and resellers, including Computacenter, Data Intensity and Insight; and systems integrators and consultants including Epidata and Seraro.