New DBAs Are Shifting to Cloud – Who Will Manage Your On-prem Oracle Apps?

Cloud computing is now a firmly entrenched best practice for businesses large and small. According to RightScale’s 2019 “State of the Cloud” report, 94 percent of organizations use the cloud in some form or fashion.

This greater focus on the cloud has reaped benefits in terms of cost savings, agility, and convenience—but it may turn out to be a double-edged sword.

Many companies still need or prefer to maintain applications running on-premise. Yet as database administrators retrain and prepare for this new world of cloud, there will be fewer DBAs left to manage their on-premise software.

This leaves one big question: if you’re currently on-premise (and planning to stay there for now), where will you find DBAs to manage your on-premise Oracle applications?

Need answers fast? Check out Datavail’s interactive e-book, “Four Ways to Manage the Decline of Oracle EBS DBA Talent,” or keep reading to learn how the role of the DBA is changing with the cloud.

How the DBA Role is Changing with the Cloud

Over the past decade, enterprise software companies like Oracle have shifted their priorities from on-premise to the cloud. As a result, the role of the enterprise DBA has inevitably changed with it.

The cloud has brought on many important changes in the role and function of DBAs. For example, many of DBAs’ trivial, repetitive tasks are going away and being automated by cloud software. Daily activities such as provisioning database access are also becoming easier.

Moving to the cloud has both pros and cons for traditional DBAs. For example, DBAs can use automation to their advantage, freeing up some of their time and effort. As a result, many DBAs are being asked to assume a higher-level strategic role, focusing on the flow and use of enterprise data rather than just lower-level mechanics.

DBAs can assist with roadmaps and strategic planning in ways such as:

• Enriching data and making it available as a strategic asset throughout the organization.
• Coordinating the growing variety of data sources and environments.
• Selecting and managing the best cloud service providers.
• Acting as leaders and educators in order to bridge the business-IT gap.

 
In addition, DBAs can take a leading role as organizations explore tech trends such as data mining and machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and social media. The explosion of enterprise data has guaranteed that the role of the DBA will be around somehow into the foreseeable future.

Finding DBAs for Oracle On-premise Applications

While fewer sleepless nights and 3 a.m. phone calls is definitely a plus, not all DBAs are happy about these changes.

The greater emphasis on the cloud has many on-premise DBAs worrying that their skill set will grow obsolescent—with many even wondering if they should retire early. Ironically, many companies are worrying about the other side of the equation: how can they ensure continued access to on-premise talent while DBAs are reorienting toward the cloud?