Edge to cloud traffic, data inferencing at end points, multicloud computing architectures — they have one harrying problem in common: network latency and the high cost of lugging around data. The solution is a database that can live in many homes at once, according to Patrick McFadin (pictured), vice president of developer relations at DataStax Inc.

“Four years ago, when I said your data should be everywhere, it was like, ‘I’m fine with my relational database and one server. I don’t need anymore. Thanks.’ OK, well, I’ll see you in a few years,” McFadin said.

The tide has turned and splashed those doubters in the face. Today, it’s common to find enterprises running in an on-premises data center and several clouds, sometimes globally dispersed.

“You’re data needs to be where your customers are,” McFadin stated. “If you have a website or a mobile application that runs in North America, and you have someone in India trying to use it, automatically, you get a half a second of delay. You cannot survive that way. No one’s going to use it there.”

McFadin spoke with John Walls (@JohnWalls21), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, and guest host Justin Warren (@jpwarren), chief analyst at PivotNine Pty Ltd, during AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas. They discussed data-transport realities and Cassandra’s attractions to next-gen application developers. (* Disclosure below.)

Developers’ choice for mobile, real-time

These dispersed IT outposts need a database that can serve all of them. That database is the open-source Apache Cassandra database, according to McFadin. DataStax packages an enterprise-ready version of Cassandra with search, analytics, graph database, security and compliance. It can bring the data to even the most wild, globally dispersed IT outposts.

“We do not care,” McFadin said. “We will work across all of them anywhere, anytime. We’re there to cheer you on, help you do it, and be successful.”

Developers love this database, because it pushes fun stuff to the fore and subtracts odious compliance chores, according to McFadin. Were there any developers looking forward to preparing for the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation? Didn’t think so.

“What gets them excited is something that’s easy to use,” McFadin stated, adding that real-time, time-series data and mobile apps all call for Cassandra. “I bet you if I looked at your phone, about half of those applications have Cassandra running behind them.”

The idea that replicated data should be everywhere to serve these and other apps is now quite popular. “I’m glad to see everyone’s at the party now. Welcome,” McFadin concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of AWS re:Invent. (* Disclosure: DataStax Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither DataStax nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE