Sun is to enter the database market following the announcement of its deal to acquire MySQL for $1bn.

Sun’s MySQL acquisition backs up long-standing hints that it would enter the database sector. It will also bolster the company’s software stack credentials by supplementing its operating systems, Java and middleware.

Sun chief executive Jonathan Schwartz described the capture as the “most important acquisition in the history of the company” and noted MySQL’s customer roster “from Facebook to Google … and Toyota to IKEA.” He added, “The single biggest impediment to growth is to give peace of mind to companies that want to put MySQL into mission-critical environments.”