March 9, 2009

Independent CEP vendors continue to flounder

Independent CEP (Complex/Event Processing) vendors continue to flounder, at least outside the financial services and national intelligence markets.

CEP’s penetration outside of its classical markets isn’t quite zero. Customers include several transportation companies (various vendors), Sallie Mae (Coral8), a game vendor or two (StreamBase, if I recall correctly), Verizon (Aleri, I think), and more. But I just wrote that list from memory — based mainly on not-so-recent deals — and a quick tour of the vendors’ web sites hasn’t turned up much I overlooked. (Truviso does have a recent deal with Technorati, but that’s not exactly a blue chip customer these days.)

So far as I can tell, this is a new version of a repeated story. A clever alternative to relational DBMS was invented. It proved superior in some specific applications and vertical markets. It failed to achieve much broader adoption. Initial high hopes got dashed, companies failed to grow rapidly, and shareholders grew tired.

So where will things go from here? My best guesses include:

Comments

12 Responses to “Independent CEP vendors continue to flounder”

  1. Carl Kayser on March 12th, 2009 2:55 pm

    I think you mean “founder”.

  2. Curt Monash on March 12th, 2009 4:41 pm

    I meant “flap around and fail to get anywhere in particular”, not “hit the rocks and drown.”

    That said, flounder get a bad rap. Some of the most beautiful fish I’ve ever seen in the wild are flounder. And they’re much more likely to be still and stealthy than they are to flap their fins aimlessly.

  3. The CEP guys are getting a bit chippy | DBMS2 -- DataBase Management System Services on March 20th, 2009 1:10 pm

    […] a thread responding to my post Independent CEP vendors continue to flounder, Paul Vincent said: I’m not aware of anyone claiming “CEP is an alternative to a […]

  4. Aleri update | DBMS2 -- DataBase Management System Services on March 25th, 2009 11:03 pm

    […] My skeptical remarks on the Aleri/Coral8 merger generated some pushback. Today I actually got around to talking with John Morell, who was marketing chief at Coral8 and has remained with the combined company. First, some quick metrics: […]

  5. Quick thoughts on Sybase/Aleri | DBMS2 -- DataBase Management System Services on February 4th, 2010 2:59 pm

    […] Sybase/Aleri is a potentially powerful combination, if they can effectively address the point I just made about integrating disparate latencies. That said, I’m not expecting a lot, because the CEP industry always disappoints me. […]

  6. Quick thoughts on the StreamBase Component Exchange | DBMS2 -- DataBase Management System Services on February 17th, 2010 6:23 pm

    […] Linden Labs is one of StreamBase’s few significant customers outside its two core markets. […]

  7. Truviso evidently reinvents itself | DBMS2 -- DataBase Management System Services on May 4th, 2010 3:26 pm

    […] Aleri bought Coral8 last year, I wrote that the independent CEP (Complex Event Processing) were floundering. Aleri quickly threw in the towel and sold out to Sybase, which hardly changed my opinion. […]

  8. Some quick notes on HP-Vertica | DBMS 2 : DataBase Management System Services on February 14th, 2011 12:31 pm

    […] other independent CEP vendors, StreamBase can’t or won’t accomplish much outside certain niches (mainly financial […]

  9. What Does the Coral8 / Aleri Merger Mean for the CEP Industry? | StreamBase on October 11th, 2011 1:19 pm

    […] Curt Monash went another way, drawing the conclusion that Independent CEP Companies Continue to Flounder.  The basis for his opinion is that CEP has demonstrated little traction outside of […]

  10. Location Tracking, fit-for-purpose design patterns in CEP | Capital Markets Blog on July 13th, 2012 10:59 am

    […] there is some credible evidence the critics draw upon. This touched a nerve not too long ago when Curt Monash hammered the CEP community.  The response was swift, but frankly […]

  11. Spark and Databricks | DBMS 2 : DataBase Management System Services on February 2nd, 2014 3:59 pm

    […] Mike Franklin knows a lot about streaming. […]

  12. facebook.com on March 23rd, 2015 8:40 am

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    Independent CEP vendors continue to flounder | DBMS 2 : DataBase Management System Services

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