Splunk, Hortonworks Team for Big Data BI

Pedro Hernandez

Updated · May 23, 2013

Splunk, a provider of real-time Big Data intelligence software, and Hadoop innovator Hortonworks are tackling interoperability between their respective platforms with Splunk Hadoop Connect. The companies have partnered to help organizations leverage both Splunk Enterprise and the Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) to unlock the potential of data stored in Hadoop and speed Big Data analytics and visualization projects.

“The integration of HDP and Splunk Hadoop Connect opens up exciting new data possibilities,” said Splunk senior vice president of business development Bill Gaylord in a company statement.

He explained that as a result of the alliance, “customers can easily use Splunk Enterprise to collect machine data from across the organization and deliver it to Hadoop for batch analytics. Likewise, the output of Hadoop jobs can be imported into Splunk Enterprise for rapid analysis and visualization.”

Gaylord also noted that official Microsoft Windows Server support, a new addition to Hortonworks, helps bring “an entirely new data proposition to Splunk customers utilizing Hadoop.”

On May 21, the company launched Hortonworks Data Platform for Windows. Previously in beta, the software is “the first production-ready Apache Hadoop-based distribution that runs on both Windows and Linux,” boasted the Palo Alto, Calif.-based firm. That’s good news for Microsoft shops that that are eyeing cloud-enabled Big Data workloads, suggested Microsoft’s Eron Kelly, general manager of product marketing for SQL Server.

“HDP for Windows not only enables organizations to deploy Hadoop projects on Windows Server but also allows for easy migration to Windows Azure HDInsight Service in the cloud. Customers gain great Hadoop-based solutions across whatever environment they choose,” said Kelly in company remarks.

Shaun Connolly, vice president of corporate strategy for Hortonworks, is banking on his company’s Windows Server-friendly tech to help popularize HDP within enterprise IT circles. “HDP is the only 100-percent open source data management platform for Apache Hadoop and the only distribution available for Windows Server. The alliance with Splunk will help extend the Apache Hadoop ecosystem and further drive open source community innovation for the next-generation enterprise data platform,” he said.

“Developers who combine HDP and Splunk Enterprise can realize true end-to-end Big Data analytics with less workload and more payoff,” added Connolly.

Hortonworks and Microsoft have a history of collaboration. Last year, both firms worked on a Hive ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) driver that brought PowerPivot-based, Big Data analysis capabilities to Excel. Splunk, widely considered to be the first Big Data startup to go public, has also been doing its share of outreach to grow and extend its Enterprise Big Data platform. In December, the company released new software development kits (SDKs) for Java and Python in an effort to broaden the platform’s appeal among application developers.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Small Business Computing and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.

Pedro Hernandez
Pedro Hernandez

Pedro Hernandez contributes to Enterprise Apps Today, and 11Press, the technology network. He was previously the managing editor of Internet.com, an IT-related website network. He has expertise in Smart Tech, CRM, and Mobile Tech, Helping Banks and Fintechs, Telcos and Automotive OEMs, and Healthcare and Identity Service Providers to Protect Mobile Apps.

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