Terracotta's Approach to Handling Big Data

Terracotta, a company that specializes in big data solutions, takes a couple different approaches to addressing the lag that can occur when trying to gain access to data. And considering the current demand for data consumption, this hot topic has the company in high demand.

As is often the case with trying to detect fraud, there can be a long wait time as the data is vetted. The main cause of these long wait times relates to the physical disks on which the data is stored. Unlike flash memory/RAM (News - Alert), drives store data in such a way that they must spin to be read, a process that can take a long time compared the nanosecond it takes data stored on memory.

Terracotta, according to this IT Business Edge blog, utilizes this technique, reallocating the data from disks to memory, to reduce wait time. By going to the RAM solution, tracking the data in real-time becomes a possibility.

In most banking operations, for instance, fraud can go undetected for an extended period of time. But with a real-time look at transactions, fraud is easier to detect and react upon before anyone’s account is compromised.

What works against a faster processing time is the various SQL database rules that are daisy chained in such a way that the statements don’t line up easily. By utilizing key-data stores, however, the process can take a split second.

The larger data giants might run into some difficulty in storing all their data on memory. Terracotta has a solution here, too. The company has engineered a cashing software solution called BigMemory to give big data application the push it needs to perform faster. With BigMemory, terabytes of data can be housed in memory.

With the addition of extra processors, big data can see performance take a big step up. And just because its big data that’s being dealt with doesn’t mean the processors have to be the top of the line models. The less expensive models can boost performance without boosting the expenditures.

It’s clear that throwing RAM at data issues isn’t always the best option, and it’s certainly not the only option. A multiple memory/multiple processor route is also a choice that allows companies to see no disruption while garnering the power of multiple servers and processors working in concert to achieve faster speeds.

Terracotta’s BigMemory is part of the equation to bring innovation to big data access. Those who have utilized the solution know there isn’t an easier way to get the necessary and dependable speeds needed to stay on top of fraud and other issues.

Gary Nakamura, senior VP and GM for Terracotta recently told TMC (News - Alert), “Terracotta is a wholly owned subsidiary of Software AG, which is taking the big memory solution and putting it into their enterprise memory solutions. The demand for big data is causing accessibility issues and there is a substantial amount of innovation that is going on right now because we have to solve these particular problems.”

Nakamura recently joined Erik Linask (News - Alert) on the TMC Roadshow from San Jose. To catch their entire conversation, access the video interview in full above.

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