Oracle has a powerful argument over Salesforce.com : For all its claims to be cutting edge, the Salesforce customer sales software applications delivered through the cloud still rely on Oracle databases for their core functions. That matters, particularly now that Oracle is making direct forays into cloud computing.
Looks like Salesforce is doing something about that.
On Friday, Salesforce started actively looking for engineers skilled in an open source database called PostgreSQL. In a job posting, Salesforce said it needs five engineers now, and 40 to 50 more people next year, for “a huge PostgreSQL project†that would involve “implementing core technology that runs Salesforce.com.â€
The recruiter listed on the job posting referred questions about the huge project to Salesforce's communications department.
“We're always evaluating/exploring different technologies,†Andrew Schmitt, a Salesforce spokesman, said in an e-mail. “We have a broad strategy when it comes to data persistence which includes not only Oracle, but also Postgres, HBase, homegrown file storage, etc.â€
He also noted that Heroku, a company purchased by Salesforce that enables people to build software applications in the cloud, also uses databases at Amazon Web Services and offers access to Postgres.
Heroku uses cloud technologies that became popular long after Salesforce was established. That is why, though Salesforce bought Heroku for $212 million last year. Heroku operates separate from Salesforce's technology. If Salesforce builds up a Postgres database for that, Salesforce could have a bigger presence in constructing and modifying applications running on its servers.
Much as Salesforce might like to move off of Oracle altogether, for cost as much as bragging rights, completely junking Oracle is probably not an option anytime soon. It is not clear that Postgres could operate at anything like the scale of Salesforce. Even if it can, Salesforce would have to spend a lot of time assuring customers that their data would not be affected. Given the marketing zeal of Salesforce, in fact, it would probably make a case that life was becoming even more fabulous.
