In this session, we will walk through the challenges and benefits of alternative database architectures - from sharding to running NoSQL to taking a chance on a distributed SQL architecture. We will highlight the trade-offs from these architectures (complexity vs. global accessibility, ACID compliance vs. scalability).

We will also discuss in detail how the more common alternatives compare to a distributed SQL architecture and how such an architecture can:

• Handle rapid user growth by adding new servers on demand
• Provide high performance even in the face of heavy application usage
• Offer around-the-clock resiliency and uptime
• Provide easy and fast access across multiple geographies
• Deliver cloud-enabled apps in public, private, or hybrid cloud environments

Seth Proctor

Chief Technology Officer,
NuoDB

Seth has 15+ years of experience in the research, design and implementation of scalable systems. That experience includes work on distributed computing, networks, security, languages, operating systems and databases all of which are integral to NuoDB. His particular focus is on how to make technology scale and how to make users scale effectively with their systems.

Prior to NuoDB Seth worked at Nokia on their private cloud architecture.

Before that he was at Sun Microsystems Laboratories and collaborated with several product groups and universities. His previous work includes contributions to the Java security framework, the Solaris operating system and several open source projects, in addition to the design of new distributed security and resource management systems. Seth developed new ways of looking at distributed transactions, caching, resource management and profiling in his contributions to Project Darkstar. Darkstar was a key effort at Sun which provided greater insights into how to distribute databases.

Seth holds eight patents for his cutting edge work across several technical disciplines. He has several additional patents awaiting approval related to achieving greater database efficiency and end-user agility.