How Tessell Helps Channel Partners Modernize Data Platforms

I am honored that CRN included me in their article, 30 Notable IT Executive Moves: March 2023, due to my new role in running global partner channels at Tessell. Coincidentally, it was 10 years ago (March 2013) that I joined Nutanix to start up their channels for the Americas. At Nutanix, I had to spend a lot of time educating would-be partners on what the new concept of hyper-converged infrastructure was even about. 

Tessell is considerably easier to explain in that it is not creating a whole new category, but the differentiation it brings to both the dynamics and economics of traditional DBaaS is similarly disruptive. There are five primary ways that Tessell can play a key role in the practices of those partners with an emphasis in modernizing IT:

1. Differentiation: Tessell is Unlike Traditional DBaaS

Traditional cloud-based infrastructure utilizes a metered IOPS construct that quickly becomes very expensive when running resource-intensive databases. While the cloud providers offer compute instances with local NVMe, the storage is ephemeral meaning a rebooted VM results in data loss. Tessell has patents pending in utilizing the local NVMe in both Azure and AWS to enable extremely high-performing yet durable data infrastructure. 

When combined with cross region replication and a low flat cost, Tessell is the perfect host for mission-critical databases. The company supports Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and Postgres with more databases coming. Even huge Oracle databases requiring millions of Exadata IOPS to run acceptably on-premises run great on Tessell in the cloud. 

Tessell brings together the benefits of Cloud elasticity, utility economics, enterprise-level governance and security. It provides seamless 1-click disaster recovery failover and automated data masking. It offers customers the option of bringing their own cloud accounts, security and governance policies. 

The platform’s intuitive, and streamlined approach to deploying and managing cloud databases eliminates the need for manual and repetitive data administration tasks. This frees up developers and DBAs to instead concentrate on creating great products, further enhancing customer satisfaction, and on driving business success. 

2. Tessell Eliminates the Primary Bottleneck to Cloud Migration

The traditional cloud infrastructure limitations to performance and high cost for provisioned IOPS often make databases, particularly mission-critical databases, the primary hurdle to achieving cloud migration. Tessell not only eliminates this obstacle, but also makes database migration exceptionally easy.

Suppose, for example, that an organization wants to migrate a mission-critical database to the cloud  but is understandably wary about simply lifting and shifting something so key to the business. Tessell enables them to first replicate the database to a DR environment on either Azure or AWS and to synch it with the production instance. In this way, the organization can achieve 1-click DR failover while trying out Tessell with no risk.

Tessell enables so much performance that the organization can now utilize its secondary environment for all of the Tessell goodness including policy-driven self-service data access to UAT, QA, and Dev; automated data obfuscation; granular cloud curation; detailed reports; rich analytics; and so on. Once the organization is ready to make its Tessell DR instance primary, it simply fails over and then replicates within or cross-region to achieve cloud-based DR.

3. Partners Can Customize Their Client Data Platforms

One of the biggest complaints of traditional DBaaS offerings is their inflexibility. Customers are often forced to abandon their years of security and governance practices and instead adopt those of the DBaaS. In many cases, they forfeit the ability to access local drives when required or to generate database native backups.

Tessell allows DBaaS @ your terms. Tessell gives organizations the option of bringing their own existing cloud infrastructure (networks, security policies, and the cloud account itself). They are not locked into a specific data cloud but can move between clouds. They are not even locked into Tessell - customers bring their own licenses and run certified database engines. Workloads can easily be relocated.

Data @ your terms means that channel partners can bring a lot more personalized security, DR, and other capabilities to their clients’ DBaaS environments – adding significant value in the process.

4. Microsoft Partners can Accelerate Oracle to Azure Migrations

I wrote a post 9 months ago about the new multicloud collaboration between the world’s two largest software companies: Microsoft and Oracle. This solution was formerly the only way to enable Azure customers to run their Oracle as a DBaaS. And while the joint solution shows how two enemies are willing to work together for the benefit of their customers, it is not always ideal to have to run applications in Azure and databases in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Tessell lets Azure channel partners offer an alternative to their Oracle customers to maintain both their apps and databases on Azure. And because Tessell brings so much performance at a low fixed cost, partners can demonstrate a compelling TCO vs. continuing to run the databases on-premises.

5. Tessell Enhances Channel Partner FinOps Practice

Partners are increasingly offering FinOps practices to help their clients control their cloud costs. Tessell enables exceptionally detailed tracking of costs by database, geography, division, and so on. And Tessell is also listed on both Azure and AWS Marketplaces, meaning customers can purchase it using their cloud provider credits. Tessell meters these credits consumed by the individual service that rolls up to workspaces (groups representing Production, AQ, Dev, etc.) enabling DB chargeback at a granular level.

Accelerating Data Modernization Practices

Tessell is selectively signing up partners known for their expertise, and we’re intentionally keeping the number low. We’re partnering with well-known technology specialists such as Thin Client Systems out of Scottsdale and Technology Partners out of St. Louis, digital strategy experts such as Breakfree Solutions out of Chicago, cloud engineering companies such as Intuitive.Cloud out of New Jersey, data insights partners such as Rhombic based in ANZ, and database specialists such as DidgeNet out of Sydney. 

If you’d like to learn more about Tessell and what a possible partnership would look like, please email me at kap@tessell.com.