Insights

The digital transformation means regardless of your industry, technology is likely at the heart of your business. Your daily operations rely on the applications that support them, and in turn, the performance and reliability of these applications are completely dependent on the databases behind them.

Headlines championing automation and the cloud may seem to confirm the DBA is dead, but in reality, that’s far from the case. Although many DBA tasks can be automated, there’s still a lot of strategy that DBAs must tackle, and with data underlying every application in your organization it’s more crucial than ever that your database environments are as available and optimized as possible.

In a recent post we proposed a few “database resolutions” for the new year. At the top of that list was “Stop Reacting, Get Proactive.” The value of ending the cycle of “deal with it as it happens” with your databases cannot be overstated.

There are few tasks more integral to business success than ensuring the security and efficiency of your Oracle, SQL Server, or NoSQL databases. So, it’s no surprise that security remains a top concern for enterprise data management. Although the cloud is more secure than ever before, recent high-profile breaches from the likes of Equifax, Target, and AWS, have made this uphill trust battle even more difficult for cloud service providers.

At first glance the terms maintenance and strategy may seem to be at polar opposite ends of the IT lexicon. The former calls to mind the daily grind of all that is required to keep all of your enterprise apps up and running to keep your business running smoothly. The latter evokes visions of smart, industry-redefining actions that will give a company a competitive edge.

Accidents happen, we all know this. But what happens when those accidents are happening within your business as the result of conditions you’ve accepted or possibly even put in place? And an even more terrifying thought: What if no one is aware they’re happening, even the one committing them? That’s the threat of the Accidental DBA.

With 95% of businesses now using the cloud in some way, there is no doubt that enterprise technology is heading skyward. However, somewhere along the road to the cloud, many came to believe that the cloud is an all or nothing proposition particularly where databases (such as Oracle, SQL Server, and NoSQL) are concerned, and that isn’t necessarily true. In fact, a recent report from IDG found that in 2018, the typical IT department will still have 40% of their apps and platforms on-premise.

In many ways the role of a database administrator, aka the DBA, can be a thankless but vital one. As a business leader, you know the true value and peace of mind of knowing your Oracle, SQL Server, or NoSQL databases are being looked after and running smoothly, allowing your business to do the same. CIOs and end-users alike expect to always have their data accessible without having to worry—but likely prefer that the tasks required to achieve that ease remain out of sight and out of mind. And that’s the way it should be.

Technology is moving at a rip-roaring rate with advances being made every minute, accelerating and simplifying processes, however, not everyone is keeping up. Whether you’re still managing your Oracle, SQL Server, or NoSQL databases on premise, or making do with skill gaps in your IT department, the time has come to take a long, hard look at how you’re managing your databases.

As technology advances, the roles of the modern workforce are changing just as quickly with new skills needed to master this ever-changing landscape, particularly as business-critical functions move to the cloud. Somewhere in the midst of all of this moving and shaking, some have come to believe that with the shift to the cloud, the role of the DBA has ceased to exist altogether. To borrow from Mark Twain, the rumors of the death of the DBA have been greatly exaggerated.