DataStax is part of a new data vendor profile series from Acceleration Economy’s Data Revolution channel.
Who They Are
DataStax, Inc., founded in 2010, is based in Santa Clara, California and was started with one clear mission in mind:
Help enterprises mobilize real-time data and quickly build the smart, high-scale applications required to become data-driven businesses
Chairman and CEO Chet Kapoor perfectly captured the essence of what DataStax is focused on in his podcast “Inspired Execution Season 3: Bet on Yourself and Enjoy the Journey“. Kapoor’s conversations with leaders across Google, Adobe, Asana, US Bank, and many others aligns with DataStax’s core values:
Obsess over developers and enterprises
focus on knowing, connecting with, and serving developers & enterprises which enables the creation of experiences that developers love
Be an owner of the outcomes
as a team, define what it means to win move forward together; as individuals, take initiative and action and own the outcomes
Execute thoughtfully with speed
relentlessly align on the “why” and move rapidly with intention on the “how” – because innovation and speed matters
Cultivate diversity and inclusion
continually help others see how and why they belong. respect differences, share ideas, and commit to moving forward in an inclusive manner where everyone is seen and heard
By building on this foundation, DataStax has expanded and evolved over the last decade, thanks to investments and new products, including:
Today, DataStax continues to innovate with offerings that include commercial support, software, and multiple cloud database-as-a-service solutions.
What They Do
There are only a few major players in the real-time NoSQL database market. DataStax proves to be one of the most interesting companies in the market, due to how the company has mastered simplicity, scalability, and the ability to deliver enterprise solutions with outstanding support. The real-time database is one of the most challenging and emerging technologies growing in demand.
The company makes some significant claims by stating that ‘Datastax is the real-time data company’, and its mission is ‘to serve real-time applications with an open data stack that works’. Those claims are backed by the company’s top products, which include:
- Astra DB Multi-cloud DBaaS Built on Apache Cassandra™
- Astra Streaming Multi-cloud Streaming-as-a-Service Built on Apache Pulsar™
- Luna for Apache Cassandra™ Subscription-to-Success with Open-Source Apache Cassandra™
- Luna Streaming Subscription-to-Success with Open-Source Apache Pulsar™
- DataStax Enterprise Scale-out, Cloud-native NoSQL built on Apache Cassandra™
Who Have They Impacted
Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, but a real mission for companies as they are keenly aware of the need to protect, preserve, and make better use of our natural resources. This means that these companies are investing in technology to overcome challenges, surface better solutions, and accelerate decision-making through data insights.
For the oil & gas and water & wastewater industries compliance and regulations standards are a massive headache and complex to operate within. To that end, WellAware developed multiple solutions to tackles these needs which it describes as:
An integrated, modern technology stack paired with unwavering support and a common-sense business model that delivers guaranteed actionable data at a lower total cost than traditional systems
However, even tech-forward companies like WellAware need assistance. They were faced with increasing latency, slow scalability, and ittook too much time to read and write the high-density data. As Daniel Fake, Director of Cloud Software at WellAware, put it, “It just wasn’t worth the time or more creative workarounds to keep our old database setup.”
And when their sole expert with experience on their Cassandra database left the company, they realized it was only a matter of time for major issues would occur. So when the WellAware team became aware of Astra DB, the multi-cloud database-as-a-service (DBaaS) from DataStax, they quickly decided to make the switch.
The process, however, had high sets of requirements to keep operations running smoothly.
- 99% uptime during migration of 600+ gigabytes of data
- Minimal code changes in the connection setup
- Ability to scale up and down
This is where the zero-downtime migration tool and DataStax’s expertise came in. As a result, WellAware is not planning to move away from DataStax any time soon.
“I feel like DataStax are stewards of Cassandra. They’re clearly the experts on running it. I know they’re very responsive and helpful. So I have a lot of trust in them to manage our database solution in the future.”
Daniel Fake, Director of Cloud Software, and WellAware
Closing Thoughts
The value of data can’t be underrated. If your organization is capturing data and using it for own internal operations, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to use the data as a revenue generator. WellAware has infused this into its business model and now have a clear path forward with a solid foundation built on DataStax.
Additionally, how you steward and protect the data reflects on your company’s ability to create trustworthy experiences for your customers.
Put your data to work for you to drive innovative outcomes.
