A novel approach to enterprise data management is emerging from Tessell, a company that finds inspiration for organizing vast and complex cloud data in the mathematical concept of tessellation. The company aims to create a seamless and efficient way to manage databases across multiple cloud platforms, much like how geometric shapes fit together perfectly in a tessellated pattern. This method, according to the company, brings a blend of art and science to the often-rigid world of data infrastructure, promising to simplify operations, enhance scalability, and reduce costs for businesses navigating the complexities of the modern cloud landscape.
Tessell’s core offering is a database-as-a-service (DBaaS) platform designed to break down the silos that often exist between different cloud providers. The platform supports a wide range of popular database engines, including Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server, and is available on major cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. By providing a unified management layer, Tessell seeks to abstract away the underlying complexities of each cloud’s native database services, offering a consistent and user-friendly experience for developers and database administrators. The company’s name itself reflects this philosophy of elegant organization, drawing a parallel between the repeating, gapless patterns of tessellation and the efficient management of data across diverse environments.
A Founder’s Vision for Data Optimization
The driving force behind Tessell is co-founder and CEO Bala Kuchibhotla, a seasoned professional with a deep background in databases and data management. His career began as a kernel engineer at Versant, where he worked on object-oriented databases, competing with industry giants like Oracle. This experience was followed by a tenure at Oracle’s Enterprise Manager Division. It was during his time in the industry that Kuchibhotla’s entrepreneurial vision began to take shape, centered on the idea of elevating databases to the level of top-tier cloud services. He envisions a future where “tessellating” enterprise data becomes as commonplace as “Googling” for information on the web, a testament to the company’s ambition to become synonymous with data optimization.
Kuchibhotla’s inspiration for the company’s name and philosophy comes from the art of M.C. Escher, who was a master of tessellation. He believes that the principles of tessellation, the art of arranging shapes in a repeating pattern without any gaps or overlaps, can be applied to the organization of enterprise data. “Tessellation is a beautiful mix of science and art,” Kuchibhotla has stated. “If you can organise it beautifully and allow customers to operate it in the cloud, that solves a very interesting problem.” This blend of artistic elegance and scientific precision forms the foundation of Tessell’s approach to solving the complex challenges of modern data management.
A Unified Multi-Cloud DBaaS Platform
Tessell’s platform is designed to be a comprehensive solution for managing relational databases in the cloud. It provides a single point of control for deploying and managing a variety of database engines, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server. This multi-cloud capability is a key differentiator, allowing businesses to avoid vendor lock-in and choose the best cloud environment for their specific needs. The service is available on all four major cloud platforms: Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This broad support empowers enterprises to modernize their applications and database estates without being constrained by the limitations of a single cloud provider.
The platform is more than just a unified interface; it also offers a suite of tools to simplify database management. These include automated maintenance tasks such as patching, backups, and recovery, which help to reduce downtime and improve the reliability of critical database systems. High availability and disaster recovery are also built into the platform, with multi-zone availability to ensure business continuity in the event of an outage. By handling these essential but often time-consuming tasks, Tessell allows IT teams to focus on more strategic initiatives that drive business value. The platform’s goal is to make deploying cloud databases “extremely simple and elegant,” according to the company.
Innovative Architecture for Performance and Resilience
At the heart of Tessell’s platform is a unique architecture designed for high performance and data protection. The service is composed of two main layers: a control plane for management and provisioning, and a data plane where the databases reside. For high-end workloads, Tessell utilizes dedicated hosts within the public cloud with local NVMe-based storage. This use of ephemeral disks provides the lowest possible latency and higher performance compared to traditional cloud storage options. However, ephemeral storage comes with the inherent risk of data loss if a server fails.
To address this challenge, Tessell has developed a high-availability feature called the “Availability Machine.” This system is responsible for maintaining data protection for database workloads, allowing the platform to safely use high-performance ephemeral storage without compromising data integrity. The platform also offers the option for a standby database with a multi-availability zone deployment, further enhancing resilience. This innovative approach to infrastructure allows Tessell to offer significant performance improvements and cost savings compared to the native database services of cloud providers. For example, a MySQL workload that might cost $6,500 per month on a native cloud service could be run on Tessell for closer to $3,000 per month, with even better storage performance.
Strategic Partnerships and Market Growth
Tessell has been actively forging strategic partnerships to expand its reach and capabilities. A significant recent development is the availability of the Tessell DBaaS on the Google Cloud Marketplace. This move allows Google Cloud customers to easily deploy, manage, and scale their database services on Google’s global infrastructure. The announcement also highlighted Tessell’s support for a growing list of database engines, including MongoDB and Milvus, on all major cloud platforms. This expansion is particularly timely, as it taps into the recent collaboration between Oracle and Google Cloud, which brought support for Oracle databases on Google Cloud’s infrastructure.
The collaboration with Google Cloud has been met with positive feedback from both customers and Google Cloud executives. Dai Vu, managing director of marketplace and ISV GTM programs at Google Cloud, stated that “Bringing Tessell DBaaS to Google Cloud Marketplace will help customers quickly deploy, manage, and grow the managed database service on Google Cloud’s trusted, global infrastructure.” This sentiment was echoed by customers like Martti Kontula, head of OT and data at Landis+Gyr, who praised Tessell’s “deep database expertise, customer-first approach, and solution-focused mindset.”
Customer-Centric Solutions and Tangible Results
Tessell’s focus on solving real-world customer problems is evident in the tangible benefits reported by its clients. The platform is designed to address common pain points in database management, such as a lack of resiliency and recoverability. One customer noted that “With Tessell, it is no longer a concern.” Another key advantage is the ability to significantly reduce costs while improving performance. Forbes, for instance, reported a reduction in database costs of over 25% and a 42-50% improvement in page load times for database-backed pages. The company also highlighted the ability to provision on-demand development environments in less than seven minutes.
The platform’s ability to seamlessly migrate databases from one cloud to another is another major selling point. One customer praised the “excellent support in migrating the databases from AWS RDS as well as Azure platforms to much more cost-effective and security-compliant Tessell DBaaS.” The performance gains can be substantial, with one firm reporting 40% faster databases, 20% better APIs, and 50% less CPU usage after adopting Tessell’s Oracle PaaS on Azure, all without any code changes. These real-world examples demonstrate the value of Tessell’s approach, which combines technical innovation with a deep understanding of customer needs to deliver a compelling solution for the modern, multi-cloud enterprise.