Xeround, the database as a service offering is today announcing an integration that sees it power MySQL applications running on both AppHarbor’s .Net platform as well as AppFog’s PHP platform. As developers increasingly look to PaaS as the first choice for easing the deployment and management aspects of their task, they also look to add in the various building blocks an application needs to run – tools such as monitoring, messaging integration and database services.

Today’s news sees users of these development platforms able to utilize a low-touch, high availability and scalability database service alongside their application. The integration sees a one-click implementation to add the database onto their applications and this creates a MySQL compatible database that can readily be connected to their app. The integration is the next logical step for Xeround who are already integrated with Heroku and EngineYard as well as with infrastructure services from AWS, Rackspace and HP.

 

Xeround’s add-on on AppHarbor is available in Xeround’s FREE, BASIC and PRO plans as an end-to-end solution for developing MySQL applications in the cloud. PHP Fog users will initially only be offered in the FREE version, soon to expand to additional plans to enable automatic scaling and more robust features.

 

MyPOV

Database as a service is a logical step for those building and deploying applications in the cloud but it’s fair to say that DBaaS has been a late bloomer, possibly because database is a more complex and specific functional area. Recent moves from AWS to provide DBaaS services via their Relational Database Service (RDS), and the general move from Azure in this space validate the proposition. Xeround was an early entrant into the DBaaS space and their aggressive strategy in terms of broad integrations stands them in good stead as more developers look to leverage DBaaS.

Interestingly enough, AWS last week announced support for Microsoft SQL surver for RDS, joining the MySQL and Oracle databases they already supported.

While many developers, particularly those using AWS and Azure, will chose to use native DBaaS from those vendors, customers of other vendors will look to use the deep integrations from third party DBaaS providers.

in the increasing move towards marketplaces for add-on services, Xeround’s strategy of integrating broadly and being a neutral party should prove a smart one. While there is much consolidation to come, and potentially these small providers could be gobbled up by larger platform vendors, Xeround has potential continuing along its current strategy.

Ben Kepes

Ben Kepes is a technology evangelist, an investor, a commentator and a business adviser. Ben covers the convergence of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users.

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