EDB is a leading contributor to PostgreSQL, which is the world’s most popular database. The company helps organizations unlock the near-infinite potential of Postgres to deliver extraordinary value in today’s data and AI-led world. Pulse 2.0 interviewed EDB Chief Product Engineering Officer Jozef de Vries to learn more about the company.
Jozef de Vries’ Background
What is Jozef de Vries’ background? De Vries said:
“Prior to joining EDB, I spent nearly 15 years at IBM across several roles. Most recently, building out and leading the IBM Cloud Database development organization via organic growth, mergers, and acquisitions.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? de Vries explained:
“EDB is a leading Postgres data and AI company.”
“EDB has been supporting PostgreSQL for the last 20 years alongside the vibrant, independent community. As a significant PostgreSQL contributor, we invest heavily in helping shape the Postgres project and by extending our decades of experience and expertise to the success our customers have with our products.”
“We recently launched EDB Postgres AI, an intelligent platform for transactional, analytical and AI workloads. This is the industry’s first platform that can be deployed as cloud, software, or physical appliance, all powered by the same Postgres engine.”
“Under the umbrella of EDB Postgres AI, our core products, such as EDB Enterprise Advanced Server (EPAS), deliver enterprise-grade functionality such as Oracle compatibility, geo-distributed high availability, security, compliance controls, and observability.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have de Vries and the team faced in building the company? de Vries acknowledged:
“The rapid adoption of AI has created the need for complex data management beyond what was previously required in the industry. In order to remedy this, EDB has identified and addressed key challenges within the AI data Postgres market. EDB Postgres AI addresses the complexities of modern data workloads, enhances performance, ensures security and compliance, and facilitates scalability and modernization, filling a key gap in the market.”
Evolution Of EDB’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved? de Vries noted:
“EDB, celebrating 20 years of technological advancement, announced the launch of EDB Postgres AI, a versatile platform for transactional, analytical, and AI workloads. This platform is unique as it can be deployed in the cloud, as software, or as a physical appliance, all powered by the Postgres engine. EDB Postgres AI is designed to address the complex data challenges of the AI era, enabling customers to integrate AI initiatives seamlessly across various environments with robust security, compliance, and availability.”
“Key features include:
– Facilitating fast analytics for transactional data while maintaining normal operations and optimizing operational data for swift analytics using EDB Postgres Lakehouse capabilities.
– Providing unified management for both on-premises and cloud databases, enhancing data insight management and operationalization.
– Offering secure and compliant support for vector data to back GenAI applications.
– Ensuring up to 99.999% uptime with round-the-clock expert support, making Postgres a critical enterprise tool with advanced security and compliance.
– Enabling the modernization of legacy systems with comprehensive Oracle Compatibility Mode and AI-assisted Oracle Migration Co-pilot.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? de Vries cited:
“Combined, Postgres has become the most loved, most used, and most wanted database in the world. According to StackOverflow surveys of developers, Postgres is the most admired and desired database among all developers.”
“Postgres is the fastest growing database management system in what IoT Analytics views as an approximately $513 billion market.”
“Now, with the launch of EDB Postgres AI, this new unified platform offers an unparalleled competitive advantage for AI, analytics, and ML apps – on clouds, on-premises, and physical appliances.”
“EDB announced strategic alliances with industry leaders Nutanix, Red Hat, and SADA, enhancing data and cloud agility across diverse environments. EDB’s collaboration with Red Hat enables seamless data generation and AI model building with Red Hat OpenShift AI. Nutanix brings enterprise-grade performance and Oracle compatibility for demanding environments. SADA enhances Google Cloud’s value with AI and data modernization services.”
“EDB also secured an investment from Bain Capital, bolstering its financial resources and strategic positioning for future growth and innovation in the AI and database sectors.”
“Additionally, EDB acquired Splitgraph, strengthening its analytics capabilities, and expanded its support for vector databases.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking De Vries about customer success stories, he revealed:
“Over 1,500 best-in-class commercial enterprises, major government organizations, financial services, media and information technology companies trust EDB to solve and support their most critical data demands.”
“Roberto Giordano, head of Database Services for LSE’s Capital Markets division, manages database services for the trading platforms, emphasizing low-latency performance. His team operates a “follow-the-sun model” with resources in Europe, Asia, and America. At Postgres Vision 2020, Giordano highlighted their preference for EDB Postgres Advanced Server (EPAS) over the community edition due to the need for reliable, world-class support in a regulated industry. His team manages approximately 100 Postgres instances, valuing Postgres for its simplicity, reliability, and affordability.”
“EDB Postgres allowed Smals, a joint information and communication technology organization in Belgium, to modernize the data architecture for Belgian government agencies, making them more efficient and resilient. Faced with limitations from their legacy database vendor, Smals sought a solution that offered technological freedom and better aligned with their mission to serve citizens without profit motives. EDB Postgres provided the resiliency and freedom Smals needed to construct their own data ecosystem. This was crucial for their hybrid technology approach and ensured cloud portability across hyperscale providers. For Belgium’s eHealth platform, which requires zero downtime, EDB Postgres ensured a highly resilient database architecture. Smals could monitor and update systems live, preventing any disruptions in critical healthcare services. This capability was essential for maintaining continuous operations in pharmacies, hospitals, and other public sector services.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? De Vries concluded:
“Building on the launch of EDB Postgres AI, EDB aims to further integrate AI and machine learning capabilities into its platform, enhancing its offerings for data-driven enterprises while also expanding its global footprint, increasing its presence in key markets and continuing to serve a growing customer base across various industries. Additionally, we hope to continue to strengthen strategic partnerships, deepening our collaborations with industry leaders like Nutanix, Red Hat, and SADA, creating more integrated and robust solutions for our customers. Finally, we are seeking to maintain and strengthen our leadership role in the PostgreSQL community, continuing to contribute to the development and evolution of the Postgres ecosystem.”
