Many organizations have limited their Oracle DBA outsourcing to tactical/operational functions like monitoring, backup and patching. But the changing technology landscape is transforming the DBA role and requiring greater expertise.
Today’s enterprise data stores are increasingly massive and architecturally complex. They must support e-commerce and other critical applications that are web-based and demand continuous availability, on-demand scalability, robust security, maximum performance and mobile device support. Further, more and more of the data that drives these complex, critical applications reside in the cloud.
To meet these new demands, organizations of all sizes increasingly need strategic Oracle DBA capabilities in addition to tactical DBA roles. But it can be hard to hire and retain expert Oracle DBAs with these skills, especially when IT budgets are constrained and the skills are in short supply.
In this increasingly common scenario, outsourcing expert Oracle DBA skills to a trusted, onshore partner can be a lifesaver. Not only can you potentially save money, but also you can improve the availability, security and business value of your most valuable asset—your data. This can give you an edge in the marketplace by improving decision-making, shortening time-to-market for new applications and delivering better performance and service to customers.
What strategic Oracle DBA services should you consider outsourcing? Start with the capabilities that are the most in demand, the hardest to cultivate in-house and offer the greatest benefit. These three will top the list for many organizations:
One: Data integration
Big data and analytics are all about integrating multiple data sources to streamline access while reducing management and storage complexity. At many companies data is siloed, making it difficult to get a comprehensive view of the business. When competitors are successfully leveraging more accurate and comprehensive intelligence, can your business afford not to take these steps? Hiring an expert Oracle DBA consultant can reduce cost, risk and time-to-value.
Two: Database architecture and design
Virtualization, cloud services and clustering offer new ways to derive greater value from existing infrastructure investments. An expert Oracle DBA can help you design and implement a massively scalable and available database system that meets the dynamic needs of a global business. The ability to understand, articulate and address the requirements of both the business and its customers is key to this strategic role.
Three: Cloud services
Setting up, managing and scaling an Oracle RDBMS in the cloud takes more than basic capacity planning and administration. It requires a database that has been properly architected and performance tuned to deal with cloud’s challenges—especially security and compliance. This is perhaps more obvious in regulated industries where compliance concerns are paramount, but many businesses moving data to the cloud face comparable concerns.
There’s a lot of buzz these days about making your business “data driven.” Highly experienced senior database professionals will be key to moving in that direction, and they’re in increasingly short supply. Contact Buda Consulting to discuss your Oracle DBA strategy and needs.
