Big data giants form open source industry group

A group of big data industry leaders has teamed up to create an industry association known as the Open Data Platform.

Companies including IBM, SAS, GE, Infosys, Hortonworks, SAS, VMware and EMC will collaborate to promote big data technologies based on open source software from the Apache Hadoop ecosystem.

Members also plan to collaborate to optimise testing across and between their respective big data ecosystems.

The ODP will work directly with Apache on specific projects and other open source licensed big data projects. Companies in the platform will initially focus on developing offerings based on core Hadoop use cases.

The goals are to develop a core platform that acts on a “test once, use everywhere” basis, and to accelerate the ability of enterprises to build or implement data-driven applications.

Other members of the project include Capgemini, CenturyLink, Splunk, Verizon Enterprise Solutions and Teradata.

“The Open Source movement is fundamentally changing the way that software is being developed in the industry today,” VMware CTO Ben Fathi commented. “Common frameworks and standards such as Open Data Platform will help solidify open source as a proven option for enterprises.”

“By providing a common, predictable and stable foundation, the Open Data Platform helps businesses become more agile and focus on building business-driven applications,” added Tom Tormey, vice president of global strategic technology alliances at EMC.

Image courtesy of Marius B under CC