MongoDB: The most popular database for modern apps

The databases in the past have had a predictable in-flow of data and could support enterprise application data in a manageable fashion. But modern applications are different. Modern applications are more networked, interactive and more social than ever before. This has been driving up the requirement for big data technologies. While the traditional databases have a hard time scaling as data builds, MongoDB has no such issues and it scales with your growth.

MongoDB finds its roots in another company DoubleClick. MongoDB was founded in 2007 by Eliot Horowitz, Dwight Merriman and Kevin Ryan (the team behind DoubleClick). The team at DoubleClick worked on developing many custom datastores to mitigate the weakness of the existing databases. The company at the time served a whopping 400,000 ads every second but would struggle with scalability and agility. This gave the team the idea of creating a database which tackled these challenges.

MongoDB is different from the traditional relational databases as it distinguishes itself to be based on a flexible document model. While the traditional databases were simply too hard to maintain which made understanding tables incredibly hard, MongoDB resolved this issue through its document model. With the arrival of MongoDB, developers for the first time did not have to accommodate to the requirements of a database anymore. Instead, they could just let MongoDB store the data from the applications in a natural way. In addition to this, its capability of coordinating multiple servers to store data has made it the natural choice for the developers today.

Helping people learn

Through its online training program, MongoDB University, the company offers free online training and certifications for developers so that they can build with MongoDB. The online platform last year reached a landmark achievement when it announced having gone past one million student registrations across the globe.

Founded in 2012, the MongoDB University was managed by a small team but has seen rapid growth owing to the huge number of subscriptions. But the prospect of providing developers across the globe has also benefited the company in a big way. The online program by the company contributes to leads that account for 15-25% of their bookings every quarter. Moreover, the interactions with the learners on the platform are also giving them the feedbacks which have helped the company identify gaps in course content.

Supporting the community

MongoDB is making special efforts to take computer science closer to the younger generation in the U.S. A big absence of this pivotal subject has been noticed in the school curriculum across the country which has reflected in the gender and racial disparity that is prevalent across the technology industry today. To mend the situation, the company has made efforts to close this gap by partnering with CSYNC. Through this partnership, MongoDB is building a suite of materials for a computer science teacher training, and a curriculum for the students to use in the classroom.

The company is also breaking down the barriers by helping the underrepresented groups in technology attend tech conferences. They offer Diversity Scholarships to encourage participation and empower those who truly deserve exposure to the latest in technology. These recipients get complimentary admission to pre-conference workshop, MongoDB certification voucher, access to access the MongoDB University training courses. The company in association with Bright Funds also helps employees donate to over 1 million charities. The contributions from these employee’s paychecks go directly to the cause of the employee’s choosing.

Continues its stellar growth

Headquartered in New York, MongoDB has grown to more than 13,000 customers from as many as 100 countries. The company’s database platform is one of the most popular databases in the world which has been downloaded over 60 million times. With a workforce of over 1,000 employees spread out across 20 countries all over the globe, MongoDB is the one most trusted database platform in the world used by developers everywhere.

 A Prodigious Leader

Dev Ittycheria, President and CEO of MongoDB

Mr. Ittycheria has had a very happening entrepreneurial past. Early in his career, he founded Applica which was one of the first venture-backed cloud companies of the time. The company merged with Breakaway Solutions and the combined company went public in 1999. He also founded BladeLogic in 2001. The company went public in 2007 and was sold to BMC Software for approximately $900 million. He then served as the President of BMC Software, where he led a workforce of 4,000. Before MongoDB, Mr. Ittycheria was the Managing Director at OpenView Venture Partners and before that he was an investing partner at Greylock Partners.

He began his professional career in the telecom sector. He serves as an advisor and is on the boards of many next-generation software companies and private equity firms.

“We eagerly pursue new opportunities and markets through innovation and disruption.”

“MongoDB allows your teams to easily organize, use and enrich data – in real time, anywhere.”

“MongoDB lets you precisely control where data is placed globally so you can easily ensure fast performance anywhere and compliance with regulations.”