Ingres Breaks the Ice With BI Appliance

The Icebreaker BI Appliance is actually a tightly woven combo of the Ingres database integrated with Linux business intelligence software from open source-based JasperSoft, and Linux-enabling technology from application builder rPath.

More Than a Bundle

A trio of widgets cobbled together and posing as a "solution" to further clutter the IT bazaar? Absolutely not, according to Ingres, which is rallying for a lead position as a company that can deliver enterprise-ready open source database products.

"This is not a bundle," Deb Woods, vice president of product management, told LinuxInsider. "There's no risk of a customer having to go around to different vendors for different issues. This is a single, integrated solution."

Simplicity of One

The launch is designed as a competitive plus for Ingres. By using a tightly woven software stack, from database engine to business-intelligence applications on top of the engine, it says, customers face fewer hassles in coping with separate components of a system for their maintenance and support .

"One contract, one license, one number to call," said Woods. That convenience comes at a subscription price tag of US$45,000, which includes the stack and support.

The Ingres launch also signifies that a corner is turning where software vendors seize the opportunity to collaborate on stacked solutions that answer real business needs.

Shared Code

"JasperSoft, rPath and Ingres worked very closely on this one," Woods said. "It was one development team working on one solution. We saw each other's code and we could come up with a solution early for us, and early for adopters. Everyone wins down the line."

With the Ingres Icebreaker BI Appliance, "what the customer actually sees is Jasper's BI software and not rPath," said Marty Wesley, senior director of marketing at rPath, "We are under the covers."

Strong Alliances

That's fine for rPath, whose strength lies under the proverbial hood. The company, which started up in February of last year, has beat its own path toward strong alliances, the likes of ISV partnerships with Ingres and the likes of hardware partners such as Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and AMD (NYSE: AMD) .

rPath's technologies are designed to relieve developers at companies building software appliances from gruntwork and hassles in system configuration and maintenance.

Ingres Targets

As for Ingres, Icebreaker BI Appliance is aimed at the Ingres ecosystem of partners and customers. They are both important targets, said Woods. "Business Intelligence projects are one of the highest priorities for CIOs worldwide."