Syncsort is not exactly a new IT company, but with a new focus on Big Data it has a new feel to it. Syncsort has history of providing IBM mainframe customers with enhanced sort functions. It is still successfully doing so, but also does data protection and data integration.
Data Integration and Big Data
We have previously made our case for why Big Data is a poor moniker, but it has clearly made it to the top of the hit list of current buzzwords. The wider practice is called analytics and it is overdue that IT professionals make much better use of their vast data repositories. But Big Data does not stop there, it also refers to making use of complex external data sources to make smarter and faster decisions.
The Big Data origins began with data warehouses by exporting live OLTP data into separate data stores for further analysis. The transition from data warehouses to Big Data has taken its time, but eventually the need for analytics 2.0 became inevitable. And to such an extent that it will become a significant revenue source for the IT industry.
Syncsort’s strength lies in its insight into to optimising data transformation, whether in sort or Data Integration. This optimisation can be translated into productivity savings. The DMExpress family provides optimised data transport and manipulation as customer move data from databases to data marts, also known as Extract, Transform, Load or ETL.
Data Protection
The third aspect of the Syncsort portfolio is the NetApp Syncsort Integrated Backup (NSB) solution based on Syncsort software combined with NetApp storage. The NSB does incremental backup based on Syncsort software and uses the NetApp appliance as the disk-to-disk backup device (which even supports tape).
Syncsort Future
The company has been given a new focus as Venture Capital took over the ownership in 2008. Big Data already features heavily in its current messaging and it would make sense for the company to further develop its data transformation IP and invest deeper in new Big Data modules. Some of Big Data is fueled by open source such as Hadoop, but there are plenty of commercial growth opportunities as businesses invest in analytics. Different vertical segments will harbour different levels of ambitions, but we believe that analytics will become a common practice. Syncsort appears to share that belief, and the company could resort to acquisitions in order to bolster its portfolio.
It may also be opportune to rethink the company’s branding with a new name that encapsulates its newfound focus. Its competitors may mistakenly take their eyes off the ball, but so may potential customers.
Image credit: Paul O’Connell