Versant Corporation

Versant Corporation was a United States software company that developed specialized database technologies for object-oriented programming environments, embedded applications, and enterprise systems. Founded in Menlo Park, California, in August 1988 by Dr. Kee Ong as Object Sciences Corporation, the company emerged during a period when object-oriented programming was gaining influence and software developers were seeking database systems that could represent application objects more directly than conventional relational databases. The company drew on research associated with the University of Wisconsin and sought to commercialize an object database capable of working alongside object-oriented languages. It initially operated under the name Object Sciences Corporation and changed its name to Versant Object Technology in early 1990. In April 1993, David Banks became chief executive officer. Versant completed an initial public offering on NASDAQ on July 18, 1996, trading under the symbol VSNT and raising $14.9 million. It was based in Menlo Park at the time and moved to Fremont, California, in 1997. Nick Ordon became chief executive in January 1998, and the company adopted the name Versant Corporation in July of that year. Versant's core business centered on object-oriented database management systems. Its technology was positioned as an alternative to relational databases for applications in which persistent objects, rather than tables and rows, were the dominant programming model. The company offered products for multiple operating systems and hardware environments, including the Versant Object Database Management System and FastObjects, a developer-oriented object database associated particularly with .NET persistence. Versant also developed Versant JPA, a Java Persistence API 2.0-compliant interface for its object database, with a technical preview involving analytics and Hadoop support. The company's market position remained specialized. Contemporary commentary described its share of the object-oriented database market as very small compared with large database vendors such as IBM and Oracle, although Versant's products were cited in database literature alongside IBM UniData as examples of relatively recent object-oriented database software. During the 1990s, the company faced the cost and complexity of maintaining products across many operating systems and hardware platforms. An account attributed to a former engineering executive described the outsourcing of some maintenance work to India as an important measure in helping the business remain viable. Versant expanded through acquisitions and related technology investments. In March 2004, it acquired Poet Software GmbH, a European-focused database company associated with the Windows market and formerly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Jochen Witte, Poet's president, became Versant's chief executive in 2005. In December 2008, Versant acquired the assets of Servo Software's database business, formerly known as db4objects. This brought db4o, an embeddable open-source object database for Java and .NET, into the company's portfolio. The product was later discontinued by Actian in 2014. Versant also developed enJin, infrastructure middleware intended to accelerate transactions by decoupling J2EE applications from data stores through an object-cache-like architecture. IBM materials reportedly discussed enJin as an accelerator for WebSphere environments. In the early 2010s, Versant presented its technologies in the context of the growing big-data market, including analytics and Hadoop-related capabilities. After rejecting an acquisition proposal from UNICOM Systems, Versant announced in late 2012 that it would be acquired by Actian Corporation, a developer associated with Ingres and Vectorwise. The transaction closed in December 2012 for an estimated $37 million. Following the acquisition, Versant ceased to operate as an independent public company, while parts of its product portfolio were continued or renamed under Actian's NoSQL branding. Versant therefore represents a historical database-software brand rather than an active standalone company.

Versant Corporation began in August 1988 in Menlo Park, California, as Object Sciences Corporation. Dr. Kee Ong founded the business after working with Ingres and helped guide its technical effort. The company was established during the rise of object-oriented programming, when developers were exploring database systems that could store and manage application objects more naturally than relational tables. Versant drew on research associated with the University of Wisconsin to develop a commercial object database intended to complement object-oriented languages. The early management group included Michael Seashols as chief executive, Kee Ong as chief technology officer, John Hughes in sales, Dr. Mary Loomis in services, and Susan Dickerson in business development. In early 1990, the company changed its name to Versant Object Technology. David Banks became chief executive in April 1993. Versant went public on July 18, 1996, listing on NASDAQ under VSNT and raising $14.9 million. It was still based in Menlo Park at the time, then moved to Fremont, California, in 1997. Nick Ordon succeeded Banks as chief executive in January 1998. On July 15 of that year, the company adopted the name Versant Corporation. Throughout the 1990s, its principal challenge was the expense of supporting database releases across many operating systems and hardware platforms. The resulting maintenance burden consumed a significant portion of research and development resources. A former engineering vice president described outsourcing maintenance work to India as a key step that helped the company continue operating through that period. Versant remained a specialist supplier rather than a direct-scale competitor to IBM or Oracle. Its products served object-oriented development, application persistence, and selected enterprise integration use cases. Its product family included the Versant Object Database Management System, FastObjects for .NET persistence, and middleware such as enJin. Versant JPA provided a Java Persistence API 2.0-compliant interface and was associated with a preview analytics platform that included Hadoop support. IBM materials also identified enJin as a possible transaction accelerator for WebSphere applications. The company pursued acquisitions to broaden its technology and geographic reach. In March 2004, it bought Poet Software GmbH, a European-focused business associated with the Windows database market and formerly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Jochen Witte, Poet's president, became Versant's chief executive in 2005. That year the company also completed a one-for-ten reverse stock split. On December 1, 2008, Versant acquired the database-software assets of Servo Software, formerly db4objects. The transaction added db4o, an embeddable open-source object database implemented for Java and .NET. db4o was later discontinued by Actian in 2014. By the end of the 2000s and beginning of the 2010s, Versant increasingly presented its database technologies in connection with big-data and analytics use cases. In late 2012, the company announced that it would be acquired by Actian Corporation after rejecting an offer from UNICOM Systems. Actian was known for database products including Ingres and Vectorwise. The acquisition closed in December 2012 for an estimated $37 million. Versant consequently ceased to be an independent public company, and its products were subsequently managed within Actian's portfolio, with some offerings receiving NoSQL-oriented names.

• 2012

  Actian acquisition closes

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Actian acquired Versant, ending its existence as an independent public company.

• 2008

  db4objects assets acquired

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Versant acquired the database assets of Servo Software, including db4o.

• 2004

  Poet Software acquired

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Versant acquired Poet Software GmbH, expanding its European and Windows-market presence.

• 1998

  Versant Corporation name adopted

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  After Nick Ordon became CEO, the company formally adopted the Versant Corporation name in July.

• 1996

  NASDAQ initial public offering

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Versant completed its IPO on NASDAQ under VSNT and raised $14.9 million.

• 1993

  David Banks becomes chief executive

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  David Banks took over as CEO in April.

• 1990

  The company becomes Versant Object Technology

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company changed its name as it developed its object-database business.

• 1988

  Object Sciences Corporation is founded

  [1]Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Kee Ong founded Object Sciences Corporation in Menlo Park, California, to develop commercial object-oriented database technology.

A specialist database-software provider focused on object persistence, embedded databases, enterprise application integration, and alternatives to conventional relational database architectures.

• Object-oriented database

  Versant Object Database Management System

  Versant's principal object database platform was designed to persist application objects and support software built with object-oriented programming languages. It represented the company's core alternative to relational database systems and served specialized enterprise and developer workloads.

• Object-oriented database

  Versant FastObjects

  FastObjects was positioned as a developer-friendly object-oriented alternative to relational databases, particularly for .NET applications requiring persistence of application objects. After the Actian acquisition, it was associated with the NoSQL FastObjects name.

• Java persistence and database interface

  Versant JPA

  Versant JPA provided a Java Persistence API 2.0-compliant interface for the Versant object database. The offering also included a technical preview of analytics capabilities with Hadoop support and was supplied for Windows and Linux environments.

• Embedded object database

  db4o

  db4o was an embeddable open-source object database for Java and .NET. Its Java implementation was translated into C# using the open-source Sharpen tool. Versant obtained the business assets behind db4o in 2008, and Actian later discontinued the product in 2014.

• Middleware and transaction accelerator

  enJin

  enJin was an infrastructure platform intended to separate J2EE applications from underlying data stores and accelerate transactions through middleware and object-cache-like techniques. It was discussed in connection with IBM WebSphere application environments.

• 2012

  Acquisition by Actian CorporationM&A

  Background

  Versant was operating in a specialized database market and had rejected an acquisition proposal from UNICOM Systems.

  Action taken

  Versant agreed to be acquired by Actian Corporation; the transaction closed in December.

  Aftermath

  Versant ceased to be an independent public company and its products were integrated into Actian's portfolio.

  Estimated acquisition value. $37 million (December 2012)

  Source

• 2008

  Acquisition of db4objects database assetsM&A

  Background

  Versant aimed to add an embedded open-source object database to its enterprise object-database portfolio.

  Action taken

  Versant acquired the database-software assets of Servo Software, formerly db4objects.

  Aftermath

  The db4o technology became part of Versant's product portfolio and was later discontinued by Actian.

  Source

• 2004

  Acquisition of Poet SoftwareM&A

  Background

  Versant sought to strengthen its European presence and broaden its Windows-oriented database business.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Poet Software GmbH.

  Aftermath

  Poet president Jochen Witte later became Versant's chief executive.

  Source

• 1996

  Initial public offeringOther

  Background

  Versant sought public capital while developing and commercializing specialized object-oriented database products.

  Action taken

  The company listed on NASDAQ under VSNT and raised $14.9 million.

  Aftermath

  Versant continued as a public company until its acquisition by Actian in 2012.

  IPO proceeds. $14.9 million raised (July 18, 1996)

  Source

1. 1Versant Corporationen.wikipedia.org