6 Things to Look for in a DBA Managed Service Provider

Data plays an integral role in business, and the explosion in the amount of data poses a real challenge to database managers. Often, managers find that the hands-on management of all of this data overwhelming. So what options are there?

Cloud-based database management provides organizations with database expertise when it is needed, where it is needed, and at the scale at which it is needed. When choosing a database managed service provider, there are several things to look for to ensure you get the support and insights that address your particular challenges.
 

How to Choose a Managed Services Provider

1. Look for Proven Industry Experience

   Chances are your current database concern won’t be your last. You want a database administration partner with the experience to help you through this issue, as well as all the issues that are sure to follow. Your database managed services provider should have proven expertise in these proficiencies (to name just a few):

   • Architecting – Look for examples of how they’ve designed and built databases similar to what you might need.
   • Analysis – They should quickly gain a strong comprehension of how your databases support your enterprise and be able to make suggestions about improving its productivity.
   • Monitoring – They should also have the capacity to define how they’ll watch over your systems and what they’ll do when they find gaps in performance, opportunities for improvements, and potential intrusions.
   • Storage and warehousing – They should have proven capabilities managing all data types and formats, so you’re never limited by what you can’t see or find.

    
   If your database concern is unique and particularly baffling, Datavail will even find a specialist database administration expert by accessing our Database Staffing Services network. Because of its long history of stellar service, Datavail acts as a central networking point for DBAs across the country, and when our clients need a specialist’s specialist, we know we can find just who fits that bill. Bringing that person on as a Datavail DBA provides our customers with the best possible consultant for their purpose and enhances our value to them, as well.

   In addition to exceptional DBA administration knowledge and skillsets, Datavail’s DBA resources are also always accessible. We have database administration managed services teams available 24×7 because we never know when you’re going to need our support and assistance.

 

2. Tailored Delivery Models

   Every customer is distinctly different, so we tailor our delivery models to meet their unique needs.

   • We start with a specific technology practice structure to match our services with our customer’s existing technologies.
   • We then assign a U.S.-based, Senior level (Tier 3) database administrator anda U.S.-based service manager to every client as their primary contacts. The Tier 3 administrator is guaranteed to have at least 10 years in the field, ensuring a high level of expertise. The leadership organization and strategy give our clients consistency in who they talk to about their concerns.
   • We then assign the project to an off-shore, technology-specific team of 20 to 30 professionals, who rotate shifts to provide ’round-the-clock services. This team approach ensures that every DBA consultant is always operating at peak performance when they’re on the job.
   • We organize our services into three tiers, and customers can choose the Tier, services, and pricing options that best suit their needs.

    
   Regardless of the tier or service structure they choose, every customer receives 24×7 live DBA support, system monitoring, and troubleshooting.

 

3. A Straightforward Billing Structure

   Too many database managed services providers bill their customers by the individual service or enroll them in a one-size-fits-all billing plan. However, those approaches don’t provide the service flexibility their customers need or the reliable monthly expense value they’ve set in their budget.

   At Datavail, we bill on a fixed-price, monthly contract, based on the types of services our customers choose and the tiers to which we’ve assigned those services. This transparent pricing system lets them control what services they receive and how much they’re going to pay for them.

   Our Tier level strategy gathers together specialized but related services into one of three Tiers, each offering significant but distinct values. Our customers can choose services from the Tier levels that best suit their needs and move from service to service and Tier to Tier over time as their business changes.
    

   • Tier 1: Our first-tier level provides the comprehensive monitoring services that are in such high demand today, coupled with 24/7 live DBA support. The service starts with the implementation of monitoring and ticketing services, which connect the work we do to the work you do. Monitoring services oversee scheduled jobs, backup and recovery jobs, custom events including replications and clustering, and responding to alerts and notifications. Our 24/7 support staff is available at all times for troubleshooting, too.
   • Tier 2: Designed to respond to all Tier 1 events, Tier 2 services also include service requests, which facilitate 24/7 DBA availability to perform database tasks upon request. These customers also receive support regarding installation, schema creation, CPU utilization, performance service supports, database tuning, patching, bug fixing, and more.
   • Tier 3: Tier 3 customers enjoy the full attention of our most experienced DBAs, who act proactively to optimize systems even when there are no concerns at hand. These services give clients a dedicated DBA to engineer, architect, and collaborate with as they evolve into new iterations. Consults lead to optimized scaling, security practices, and overall database strategies.

 

4. Comprehensive Monitoring Abilities

   Your company’s mission-critical information is only safe when it’s appropriately monitored. Datavail’s comprehensive monitoring provides several assurances:

   • That your systems are functioning correctly. When they’re not, monitors will detect failures as soon as they become apparent, allowing for immediate remediation activities.
   • That access to your data is limited only to those who are authorized to see it. Monitors track audit trails to determine who’s doing what with your information.
   • That your systems are secure from intrusions. Malicious insiders are always a concern, and so are external threats of hacking, breaches, and other intrusions.

    
   Datavail’s managed services teams watch over all activities in and around the database, including tracking automatic alerts, media communications, services, and ticketing operations to name just a few. Learn more about our database monitoring services and solutions.

 

5. Simple, Flexible Contracts

   As noted above, every customer is unique, and so are the contracts we build with them. We express our terms in clear and relatable language, so you always know what you’re getting. Plus, we recognize that your needs will change, so your service agreements should be changeable, too. That flexibility gives you the capacity to scale your services up or down as needed, add new features when you need them, and even adjust your priorities within your monthly contracts, so you’re always in control of how your agreements fulfill your database administration needs.

 

6. Happy Customers

   Datavail is proud to be partners with some of the world’s most successful businesses, including Microsoft, Oracle, AWS and MongoDB. Through these partnerships (our average length of partnership is seven years), we can provide our customers with the best-in-class database administration services available on the market today.

   Customer comments reveal that our work ethic and offerings are also top-notch. They often describe us using words like ‘consistent, ‘reliable, ‘fantastic,’ ‘responsive,’ and ‘excellent.’ Some consider us more than a service provider; to them, we are a true partner.

 
Datavail is proud of its untarnished reputation with our customers, business partners, and industry colleagues. If you want the highest quality database managed service provider around, you’ll want to learn more about Datavail’s offerings.