MongoDB announced services with enterprise capabilities for Microsoft Azure and Google Compute Engine platforms at the MongoDB world conference.
Already popular with developers for its simplicity, this fully managed MongoDB service could gain wider adoption for its enterprise features. Based around MongoDB Enterprise, the service utilizes MongoDB Management Service (MMS) for point-in-time recovery.
MongoDB can be deployed in the cloud by installing mongod on multiple nodes, and creating replica sets that shard the data and allows applications to scale relatively quickly. An a la carte approach is outlined in the DevPro blog, but these deployments will have to be self-managed and do not come with MongoDB support.
The fully managed service on Microsoft Azure outlines several plans ranging from micro to large instances but all of them include backup and MMS monitoring.
InfoQ caught up with Vijay Vijayasankar, VP of Channels and Business Development at MongoDB.
InfoQ: How do these recent announcements help developers specifically?
A primary requirement for developers is availability of their favorite database in their favorite infrastructure. By being present in multiple clouds - and working just as well in on premises environments - MongoDB helps developers have choice of environments in getting their work done.
InfoQ: Are these services offered on Microsoft Azure different from other offerings, like MongoLab, MongoHQ, ObjectRocket, etc.?
There are two options for developers to run MongoDB on Azure. Either in a PaaS mode or using the Azure Virtual Machine.
InfoQ: How do these services enable enterprise adoption?
Increasingly, enterprises are deploying in the cloud - public, private or hybrid. This is ideal for MongoDB, which works well on all of these deployment options. On top of enabling MongoDB as a service in several public clouds, there are many MongoDB customers who use MongoDB as a service internally.
InfoQ: What other plans or features currently missing in MongoDB that would significantly accelerate enterprise adoption?
I don’t think any particular features are holding back MongoDB adoption in enterprise. It is an organic process where a large company develops a comfort feel for a modern technology across a few projects before standardizing on it. The product is constantly getting new features - like document level locking, better management features via the new MongoDB Managed Services etc.
InfoQ: In the cloud computing model is it likely that most data will be stored in the newer NoSQL databases as opposed to SQL, which was the norm?
There are some applications – like say ERP systems - where SQL is the right thing to do. But vast majority of other applications work on SQL today because developers and architects did not have any other option at the time they were created. Now that there is MongoDB and other modern technologies loosely defined as NoSQL, developers have more choice to create applications in a more modern way. So yes, I do think SQL will stop being the default answer - in fact it is already not the norm at several customers in both enterprises and consumer space.
NoSQL adoption is steadily increasing and it is critical that these services be available wherever developers are deploying solutions, especially in the cloud. Developers will have a variety of choices for deploying these services ranging from fully managed to completely self managed. NoSQL vendors are offering more choices in response to developer demands.
Developer documentation on MongoDB outlines how to leverage MongoDB for the cloud.
