NEWS

MySQL, Open-Xchange partner on Linux collaboration server

IDG News Service
Nancy Gohring
December 12, 2006

Open-source players MySQL AB and Open-Xchange Inc. are teaming up so Open-Xchange can embed MySQL's database into its Linux-based collaboration server.

The two companies announced a partnership and support agreement last week to optimize the interaction between MySQL databases and Open-Xchange groupware functions. Open-Xchange customers won't have to pay extra for product support for MySQL, they said.

The partnership will result in more choice for customers in the way that they use the Open-Xchange server and can help users cut costs, according to Open-Xchange.

MySQL was interested in supporting the integration because an increasing number of companies are choosing open-source collaboration products, like Open-Xchange, instead of proprietary products, the database vendor said.

Open-Xchange competes with other open-source collaboration products from Scalix Corp. and Zimbra Inc. as well as established proprietary software including Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange and IBM Corp.'s Notes/Domino.

The move is typical of a growing wave of significant partnerships being struck between commercial open-source players designed to simplify the integration of their respective products.

For instance, back in June, open-source customer relationship management software vendor SugarCRM Inc. announced a relationship with open-source business intelligence company JasperSoft Corp. to allow SugarCRM users to generate reports using the co-developed JasperReports for the SugarCRM reporting engine.