InterSystems just released the latest version of the data platform it first introduced in 1997: Caché 2015.

What does it have to do with EHR giant Epic? One might say it's "InterSystems inside."

Epic relies on Caché as a core technology for its EHR software. Epic technology touches more than half of the U.S. population and worldwide, InterSystems executives point out.

The connection between Cambridge, Mass.-based InterSystems and Verona, Wis.-based Epic Systems goes way back to even before Epic CEO Judy Faulkner founded her company.

[See also: InterSystems' CMO on interoperability.]

Back in the 1970s Faulkner, then working at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and InterSystems' Terry Ragon, who, like Faulkner, is the founder and sole owner of the company, were both members on the MUMPS Development Committee. MUMPS stands for Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System, a computer programming language.

Epic and InterSystems have worked closely since, and Epic is reportedly InterSystems’ single biggest customer.

InterSystem's Caché 2015 doubles the scalability of prior releases, based on independent third-party testing, according to InterSystems.

Epic recently benchmarked the latest version of Caché.

"The scalability and performance improvements of Caché 2015.1 are terrific," Carl Dvorak, president of Epic Systems, said in a press statement, as InterSystems announced the newest version of Caché. "Almost doubling the scalability, this version provides a key strategic advantage for our user organizations who are pursuing large-scale medical informatics programs as well as aggressive growth strategies in preparation for the volume-to-value transformation in healthcare."

“For those who decide the strategic business technology needs of their enterprises – the chief technology officers and development leaders who are defining and delivering the next generation of data-driven applications – Caché 2015 is the data platform to handle the most demanding requirements,” said Robert Nagle, vice president of data platforms, InterSystems, in a news release.

[See also: Clinical Enhancements to InterSystems TrakCare support mission of healthcare organizations.]

“What makes Caché different is our data platform approach," Nagle added. "It combines powerful development capabilities using all types of data (SQL and NoSQL) simultaneously. It has long been known for its massive scalability, now even greater. And for operational applications – using analytics on structured and unstructured data – Caché enables just-in-time insight at the point of action."

InterSystems was recently positioned as a leader for its Caché solution in the Gartner report, “Magic Quadrant on Operational Database Management Systems,” written by analysts Donald Feinberg, Merv Adrian and Nick Heudecker and published Oct. 16, 2014.