In this episode of AppDevANGLE, I sat down with Peter Zaitsev, CEO and co-founder of Percona, a company that has been helping organizations run open-source databases for nearly two decades. Our conversation examined the state of open-source adoption, vendor lock-in avoidance, the evolution of cloud-native data infrastructure, and strategies to secure distributed architectures.
We’re at a tipping point in enterprise data strategy. According to theCUBE Research, 74% of database professionals report being impacted by downtime and performance issues, while 53% of organizations cite security, compliance, and data breach concerns as top pain points. Open-source databases are increasingly seen as a viable path forward—but only if enterprises can adopt them without increasing risk.
Open Source Without Isolation
Vendor lock-in continues to be a key concern for enterprise buyers. As Peter noted, “Many proprietary vendors make it easy and cheap to get started. But once you scale, the costs rise sharply, and moving away becomes almost impossible.”
Our data supports this: 68% of organizations prefer to work with vendors that sponsor open-source projects, but still seek partners to help manage that complexity across distributed environments.
This is where Percona fits in. Their mission is to bring enterprise-grade support to open-source databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL, without locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. Notably, Peter clarified that not all so-called “open-source” databases are created equal. “MongoDB is now ‘source-available,’ not truly open,” he explained. “That distinction matters when it comes to freedom and flexibility.”
Cloud-Native Scale, Without the Proprietary Baggage
The move to cloud-native environments is accelerating but often with hidden costs. As organizations adopt Kubernetes and distributed systems, they risk trading one form of lock-in for another.
Peter emphasized that enterprises should use the cloud “as a commodity” not as a proprietary platform. “Public cloud providers often push proprietary data services, which can be excellent but also deeply tie you into their ecosystem,” he said. The alternative? Use Kubernetes-based open source tools to run cloud-native databases that are portable, scalable, and secure.
Tools like Percona Operators and Percona Everest, a GUI-based, open-source database-as-a-service platform, are built to simplify complex database operations across environments. These capabilities are especially vital as application modernization intensifies and database sprawl becomes a management challenge.
Security: A Single Failure Can Break the Business
Security isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a potential existential threat. “With performance issues, you can fix them over time,” Peter said. “With security, one incident might kill your company.”
That’s why modern security postures require both proactive tooling and partner expertise. Percona helps organizations implement capabilities like data encryption, auditing, single sign-on (SSO), and secure backup practices. More importantly, their team helps enterprises apply these best practices correctly in their own environments.
It’s not just about the tools, it’s about guidance. “In so many cases, people think they’re doing things securely but they’re not,” Peter warned.
Why This Matters
As data environments become more distributed, regulated, and performance-sensitive, open source is no longer just a developer preference, it’s a business imperative. Enterprises want freedom without fragility, and open-source platforms that can offer support, scale, and security are positioned to lead.
With its long-standing commitment to trustworthy open source and enterprise-focused tools and services, Percona is giving organizations a credible path forward that avoids lock-in without sacrificing performance or compliance.
Looking Ahead
As the cloud-native movement matures, enterprise adoption of open-source data solutions will only accelerate. But that journey demands careful planning and the right partnerships. Percona is making the case that you can have both freedom of choice and operational excellence.
Whether modernizing legacy systems, deploying across hybrid environments, or launching cloud-native apps, now is the time to rethink how and with whom you build your data foundation.
As Peter put it best:
“You can do very good by running our software, but you can do even better by running our software with our help.”
To explore our full conversation and hear more insights on trends shaping open-source data infrastructure, check out the full episode of AppDevANGLE.
Want to keep the conversation going?
Reach out at pauln@siliconangle.com or follow us at theCUBE Research for more insights on application modernization, cloud-native trends, and developer tooling.
