We’re happy to share the news that the latest beta of our in-memory data grid solution, Red Hat JBoss Data Grid, is now available. JBoss Data Grid 6.2 beta introduces more deployment options and improved data access, programmability, flexibility and performance over previous versions. With this beta, we’ve focused on giving customers more choice in how they can use and deploy the data grid alongside their applications and traditional databases.

JBoss Data Grid is an in-memory data grid solution that provides a much-needed complement to the traditional data store by giving highly-transactional applications real-time, reliable access to their frequently used and frequently accessed data. According to industry analyst firm Gartner, “the rapid maturation of application infrastructure technologies and a continued dramatic decline in the cost of semiconductor technologies are paving the way for mainstream use of in-memory computing (IMC).” Further, Gartner states that “although the in-memory data grid (IMDG) market, a key IMC segment, is small, it is likely to grow fast and to reach $1 billion by 2016.”¹ From our perspective, in-memory data grid technologies like JBoss Data Grid have never been more accessible and affordable.

JBoss Data Grid helps organizations accomplish a number of goals, including:

  • Improving customer experiences – More and more customers are engaging with companies via online and mobile applications. Challenges associated with big data are becoming pervasive. As data traffic grows and more services are offered by these mobile applications, organizations may be hard-pressed to maintain acceptable levels of performance and availability. An application and database alone are often unable to perform at the required levels to maintain optimal customer experience. JBoss Data Grid is a compelling solution to alleviate the burden on the database and maintain a high degree of customer satisfaction.
  • Getting more value from complex IT environments – Many businesses have a mix of traditional and modern technologies that reside on-premise, or in public, private or hybrid clouds. In order to obtain maximum value from heterogeneous computing environments, middleware technologies need to be open and flexible, providing compatibility and straightforward integration across the enterprise. As an open source data grid, JBoss Data Grid gives applications a layer of data abstraction from the persistent store, regardless of where the store is located. Additionally, with multiple deployment modes and wire protocols, JBoss Data Grid provides straightforward and flexible options for applications connecting to and accessing the grid.
  • Deploying applications faster – Application developers frequently become entangled in a struggle for time and resources from the database team, and can be distracted by performance, latency and scaling problems. With short development cycles and limited resources, developers need a flexible technology that enables a focus on application development. JBoss Data Grid enables innovative organizations to bring their applications to market faster because it promotes independence and separation of the maintenance and lifecycles of applications, their caches and back end databases.

With the launch of JBoss Data Grid 6.2 beta, we’ve rolled out a number of new features designed to give organizations more flexibility and choice to meet their goals. Here are some of the key features in version 6.2 beta:

  • Queries – Queries are a powerful feature that enable users to easily search and find objects in the data grid based on properties or metadata without needing to know the assigned key for each object.
  • High throughput file-based cache stores – With two new file-based cache stores (SingleFileCacheStore and LevelDB-JNI), JBoss Data Grid offers greater speeds and scalability for high-write throughput and large data sets.
  • Data interoperability – Data interoperability enables an application to read data from the grid, without needing knowledge of how, or by which method, the data was written to the grid. This interoperability applies across protocols, different languages under the same protocol, and deployment modes.
  • New Hot Rod clients and security – C++ applications can now access the data grid via a C++ Hot Rod client. Additionally, new security features include user authentication and encrypted communications over Hot Rod.
  • Rolling upgrades for REST – Rolling upgrades over the REST protocol enable customers to better service their users, simplify operations and reduce the cost of management when migrating from one version of JBoss Data Grid to the next.

For more information and a full list of new features, see the JBoss Data Grid 6.2 beta FAQ or the documentation.

Data is at the heart of business today. It’s a functional element in IT: systems and applications are either using it or generating it. In many cases, both are true. Innovative businesses are actively seeking flexible, open middleware that gives them the ability to interact with data in a fast, efficient and accurate manner. We believe JBoss Data Grid is the answer. Try JBoss Data Grid 6.2 beta today and see how you can supercharge your applications and meet demanding customer expectations. Join the JBoss.org community and download the beta at https://www.jboss.org/products/jdg.html.

 

¹Source: Gartner, Gartner Says In-Memory Computing Is Racing Towards Mainstream Adoption, http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2405315