Open-source database company Ingres is continuing its strategy to expand around the world, opening operations in India.

Ingres Tuesday announced the appointment of Vivek Bhatnagar based in New Delhi, India, as the vendor’s country director in charge of business development and global alliances.

Previously with data integration vendor Informatica, Bhatnagar’s duties will center on growing Ingres’ business in India, developing local channel sales and encouraging the country’s national and state governments to use the company’s database.

Ingres has already signed partnerships with service providers based in India, notably Cognizant Technology Solutions and netCustomer, and has local customers across India’s industry sectors, including financial services, manufacturing, transportation and utilities.

In addition to the new Indian office, Ingres has operations outside the United States in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The vendor is looking to target other emerging markets as well as India, particularly in Brazil and Eastern Europe.

Back in July, Ingres announced its first acquisition since becoming an independent company in November 2005, purchasing one of its resellers and service providers, Thinking Instruments, as a way to expand its presence both in Germany and the Middle East. It’s a strategy the company expects to duplicate, particularly in Europe, as it continues its expansion.

CA sold Ingres to private equity firm Garnett & Helfrich Capital last year, which then formed Ingres as a new company focused on the Ingres open-source database and related middleware.

Also Tuesday, Garnett & Helfrich opened its own office in India, in Mumbai, to support local companies it’s already invested in and to identify new candidates for potential acquisition.

The private equity firm announced its fourth venture buyout with the acquisition of a controlling stake in open-source mobile software platform and services player Celunite for an undisclosed amount. Celunite has its headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., and development centers in Pune and Hyderabad, India.

In addition to Ingres, Garnett & Helfrich owns Wyse Technology and Blade Network Technologies.

-China Martens, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau)

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