MySQL developer Tokutek boasts that its customer base grew by 200 percent last year, a statistic it credits to rapidly accelerating adoption of its TokuDB database engine.

The company landed lucrative deals with Evidenzia, Swaylo, SWRI and several other major corporations throughout the year. Demand grew so rapidly, in fact, that Tokutek had to hire more engineers and salespeople just to keep up with the demand.

“In 2012, Tokutek’s technical leadership allowed us build strong sales momentum as MySQL users chose TokuDB to meet their Big Data challenges,” said Tokutek CEO John Partridge. “In 2013, as big data expands across organizations of all sizes, Tokutek will be helping our growing number of customers derive more value from their existing database investments.”

The database vendor met several other milestones last year. In February the company was selected as a finalist in the Strata 2012 Startup Showcase, and in May it announced a strategic partnership with database consultancy PalominoDB.

A couple months later, the firm released a new version of its flagship product, TokuDB 6.5. The latest release features enhancements to the homegrown data structure that powers the Tokutek’s database, with other optimizations that allow for better performance in environments that make use of flash storage.

Fast forward to November 2012, the vendor secured $1.5 million in funding from an unnamed investor.

Tokutek is one of several database vendors that have positioned themselves to take full advantage of big data adoption in the enterprise.  Organizations are tapping into their information in an effort to gain an edge over the competition, and they’re willing to invest a lot of money in the technologies that help them realize this goal.