The 5 Core Issues Facing Database Administrators

At the heart of nearly every application is a database. That means when performance or availability issue arise, there’s an excellent chance it has something to do with the underlying database’s performance. A number of studies indicate that end users expect IT personnel to resolve these issues quickly. It's no surprise, then, that nearly 90% of IT professionals report that when it comes to application performance, the database is the most common challenge they face. Combine that with how DevOps, the cloud, and other technology changes are shifting the focus on apps, and it’s easy to see that database administrators face intense pressure to ensure high performance. Whether it’s at a small startup or a Fortune 500 firm, a database administrator faces five core issues that need to be addressed:

1. Accessibility: Accessibility should be the top priority for every database administrator and his or her team. Administrators need to not only make it cost-effective to store and retrieve data, but must make it easier to find that data.
2. Change Management: Change is a constant for administrators. New hardware, updated software, machine upgrades and more have an effect on their jobs. That means finding a way to make sure a fluid system is capable of growth and/or alteration.
3. Compliance: Probably the most important — and dreaded — aspect of database management is compliance. There are volumes upon volumes of legal books dedicated to the requirements administrators must comply with regarding both storage and retrieval. To compound the challenge, every department they deal with has its own set of compliance requirements.
4. Security: Data theft and loss is an increasingly serious problem. Security has always been a core issues for database administrators, but it’s becoming a prominent subject and has a direct effect on many changes that are happening in the IT business today.
5. Disaster Recovery: Every IT worker knows the drill: backup once, then backup regularly. Database administrators repeat it again. An irrecoverable database loss is a disaster for any company. Administrators must be able to quickly change access accounts and passwords, as well as restore lost data.

Data is the lifeblood of any business. Administrators are faced with the daily challenge of shifting to an application-focused approach to management, while also managing multiple databases as well as cloud data and on-premise data. These challenges are not easily overcome, but by heeding best practices, database administrators can meet them and ensure their organization’s success.