REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Versant
Corporation (Nasdaq:VSNT), an industry leader in specialized data
management software, today announced the appointment of Dr. Kee Ong as
Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Dr. Ong is heading Versant's newly established Silicon Valley software
development laboratory, responsible for product innovation in Big Data,
in-database analytics and integration into partner eco-systems.

Dr. Ong was the original founder and CTO of Versant from 1988 to 1993.
He has had executive roles at a number of startups in the areas of
e-commerce, Application Integration, and Cloud Computing, and is
experienced in a variety of database technologies including key-value
file systems, SQL, and Distributed SQL.

Bernhard Woebker, Versant's President and CEO says: "I am very pleased
that Dr. Ong has returned to Versant. Dr. Ong is one of the most
sought-after industry experts for distributed database systems, and his
leadership will be an invaluable asset in implementing our aggressive
product development plans, which will enable our customers to build
complex Big Data applications with fully integrated analytical
processes."

Dr. Ong adds: "Versant is in a unique position to capitalize on the
massive trend towards distributed database systems to manage Big Data
applications. The database industry has again reached an inflection
point requiring application and database designers to re-evaluate which
systems can carry the load for the years to come. Versant's distributed
database architecture together with certain product innovations can
place Versant into an exciting position, and I am very happy to again
be a part of the leadership team at Versant."

About Versant

Versant Corporation (Nasdaq:VSNT) is an industry leader in specialized
data management software, which helps companies to handle complex
information in environments that have high performance and high
availability requirements. Using the Versant Database Engine, customers
cut hardware costs, speed and simplify development, significantly
reduce administration costs, and deliver products with a strong
competitive edge. Versant's solutions are deployed in a wide array of
industries, including telecommunications, financial services,
transportation, manufacturing, and defense. With over 150,000
installations, Versant has been a highly reliable partner for over 15
years for Global 2000 companies such as Ericsson, Verizon, Siemens, and
Financial Times, as well as the US Government. For more information,
call 650-232-2400 or visit www.versant.com.


CONTACT: Media Contacts:
         
         Versant Corporation
         Kamini Patel
         kpatel@versant.com
         Tel. 650.232.2405