DBAs Still Needed in the Cloud

While people may think that databases and DBAs are part of the old guard, they are still extremely important. They play a central role in making sure data is secure, and that unstructured data and structured data can talk to each other and be accessible for reporting and transactions. DBAs play a crucial role in supporting many IT trends and in merging code and development of database updates from the various environments, which could be a complex and time-consuming processes.

As outlined in Datavail’s recently released white paper, The New IT Hero: Technology Advances the Role of the DBA, the shift to cloud computing has caused today’s DBAs to change their role from the traditional in-house one to multi-tasking in the cloud, including supporting business database, infrastructure operations, data modeling, and applications management. Here’s why we still need DBAs in the cloud.

The DBA as Cloud Advisor

With a rapid adoption of cloud services many businesses and startups hosts their applications and data on the cloud. With the so many options and services being offered by numerous cloud computing companies, mulling over the choices and specifications can get confusing, but a skilled DBA with cloud expertise can help you determine which packages and services would best suit your business needs.

The DBA as Data Optimizer

The cloud DBA is more knowledgeable about all aspects of cloud server, such as storage, network and active directory. They are in charge of:

• Overseeing the flow and availability of data
• Database design
• Development and configuration
• Performance monitoring and tweaking
• Back-end security
• Troubleshooting and support
• Data recovery and migration

DBAs are vital in ensuring the above tasks function efficiently in order to keep businesses one step ahead of the game with all of their mission-critical applications. The DBA who is aware of the available features in cloud services is able to design and implement databases accordingly to further optimize the application in order to reduce resource consumption as much as possible and save on costs.

The DBA as Technical Advisor

DBAs can provide professional and technical advice to businesses and organizations on the type of hardware configuration, network security and best cloud services available, including the type of cloud service and size of storage. They can also provide advice on the best network security software that is needed to safely set up and manage the network.

DBAs in DevOps

DBAs now have more time to assist DevOps in the creation and application of security patches, responding to a production issues or answering developers’ questions. They’re uniquely positioned to contribute to the DevOps transformation as they are experienced in both development and operations and have a better understanding of how database requirements.

As DBAs are conversant with designing, coding and testing database objects like stored procedures and packages, they are constantly contributing to the application through the translation of business requirements, and by extension, fulfilling a critical function in DevOps through their stewardship of that data – the lifeblood of the application.

To learn more about the DBA’s changing role in today’s cloud enviroment, please download the white paper or contact Datavail today. With more than 800 employees worldwide, Datavail is the largest database services provider in North America. As a reliable provider of 24×7 managed services for applications, BI/Analytics, and databases, Datavail can support your organization, regardless of the build you’ve selected.