Database administration outsourcing, also known as remote database administration, provides supplemental expertise for the maintenance and support of operational databases, in particular outside normal business hours (24x7). A remote database service provider monitors the operations of an organizations database or databases (known as instances), and ensures that critical parameters are maintained and performance goals met. Remote database administrators react to negative situations, such as database alerts, and attempt to resolve database problems.
Database administration outsourcing can help organizations handle growing database responsibilities, especially when IT budgets are tight or when needed expertise is in short supply. But it is a strategy that is not widely embraced or rapidly expanding. Database administration outsourcing does not include code development or application maintenance. Most remote database administration is performed off-site, though supplemental on-site database personnel can be employed and most database administration outsourcing involves monitoring database instances running in either the client’s data center or a third-party data center, though some database service firms provide complete outsourcing services, including hosting their clients database systems.
