The Operational and Cost Benefits of Remote Database Administration

Author: Kashif Mukhtar

Author: Kashif Mukhtar

What is a DBA? Most enterprise applications are designed to utilize and be stored on relational databases. In order for these enterprise applications to run efficiently, constant attention must be given to the database components upon which they depend. Large companies typically have teams of Database Administrators (DBAs) dedicated to administering the environmental aspects of their application databases, while smaller firms might share DBA resources throughout various areas. A DBA might wear many hats within an organization; he or she usually maintains a running knowledge of operating system requirements, and works comfortably with data architects and application developers. His or her responsibilities nearly always include disaster recovery, performance analysis and tuning, data dictionary maintenance, some database design, and sometimes network administration tasks, such as troubleshooting system errors. However, the DBA's main responsibility is to ensure the availability and continued optimization of the data storage infrastructure. Why outsource the DBA function? Even in the most dynamic of development environments much, if not most, of a DBA's time and resources are spent doing low-level administration work. While such routine tasks are critical to the support of your organization, rarely are they related to a company's core competencies around revenue generation. In tough economic times, in-house database administration can be problematic for a variety of reasons, including reduced IT budgets, employee turnover, leave, or other reasons for declining head-count (and the associated costs of on boarding and training replacements). One of the more compelling reasons that many companies are turning toward outsourcing the DBA function is that firms are looking to maintain or improve their competitive advantages. One-way to do this is to utilize managed services, including remote DBA providers. As companies tighten their belts, they increasingly look toward their IT departments to streamline and automate processes, including that of database administration. However, database environments are expansive and extensive, containing data that has been collected from every possible corner of every corporation -- and, in some cases, the DBAs who manage these databases are being let go. Companies, IT managers, and CIOs are seeing this, correctly, as a risk: "I'm laying off my DBAs, but somebody still has to manage this infrastructure, containing huge amounts of sensitive, proprietary, and mission-critical information -- and they've got to do it cost-effectively and with minimum risk to the organization." The ROI of remote database administration In order to cut costs and optimize IT operations, companies are turning to remote database administration solutions. Established, effective remote DBA providers help businesses increase productivity and reduce the cost of enterprise computing-enabling clients to compete in today's demanding business environment, maintain institutional integrity, and reduce system vulnerability. A remote DBA program can provide a considerable return on investment (ROI), including: Fixed cost: Remote DBA services are not only significantly less expensive than in-house DBAs, they are usually delivered at a contractually set price, allowing for more granular and effective financial planning for future IT expenditures. Increased team productivity: Skilled IT employees that might have otherwise been used for in-house database administration can be re-deployed to more business-critical, revenue-producing projects. Accelerated problem resolution: Remote DBA solutions focus entirely upon administrative support, 24x7. This minimizes response times for problem resolution, user requests, and performance-related issues. Increased availability to 24/7: While many firms pursue cost savings by outsourcing development and administration tasks overseas, differences in time zones and workdays can create gaps in coverage and response times and force in-house staff to work off-hours. On-shore remote DBA eliminates these issues. Leveraging state-of-the-art monitoring tools: Outsourcing to a remote DBA eliminates the costs that a firm would have to spend on expensive in-house monitoring tools. Tracking and auditing database management work: Full accounting of work performed, including case tracking and resolution analysis, is a valuable IT management tool that can allow more granular breakdown of DBA expenditures. DBA mentoring: Expert DBAs provide valuable guidance to IT managers who are adopting new technologies or who only have junior-level DBAs in house. A second pair of eyes: IT managers who do not have the budget to increase headcount can use remote DBA to add an additional level of support at a fraction of the expense. Cost savings As access to capital becomes scarcer, companies of all sizes are turning to remote database management expertise so that they can focus their resources on core competencies. The standard industry maxim is that remote DBA clients find typical cost savings are at least 40 percent, and can be as much as 60 percent, compared to using in-house DBAs. Additional ROI Ensure incident response times of as little as fifteen minutes, per some providers' contractual guarantee. Redeploy IT talent and capital resources from database administration to more strategic initiatives. Leverage database administration best practices and service expertise. Quickly absorb new database platforms during mergers and acquisitions. Reduce staff turnover. Eliminate night, weekend, and holiday shifts. Increase security, compliance, and governance best practices. Eliminate time and cost for ongoing training. Increasing the mileage for a company's financial resources is the prime concern for all IT executives today. Turning to remote DBA specialists is the most established, sustainable, and cost effective way to improve database coverage and efficiency and secure peace of mind with 24/7 proactive support.About the Author:

Kashif Mukhtar is Director of Professional Services at Bluewolf global headquarters in New York City. Bluewolf is the leading provider of US-based managed services for remote DBA and cloud computing consulting for salesforce.com and other leading adaptive technologies. For more information, visit bluewolf.com/remote-dba

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