Eight Benefits of DBaaS

What Is DBaaS?

Database as a service, or DBaaS, is a cloud-based service that offers users a flexible, scalable, and on-demand platform. Much like other “as a service” solutions, DBaaS focuses on self-service, easy management, and performance and usage tracking. What sets DBaaS apart from other cloud services is that it delivers database functionality on the same scale as a relational database management system.

The Benefits of DBaaS

Here are the top eight benefits of using DBaaS:

1. Cost Savings
   Use of DBaaS can result in massive cost savings. Purchasing expensive software and hardware can be a daunting overhead expense for a start-up or even a larger company. Purchasing capacity and functionality as needed through DBaaS allows companies to invest in the resources they truly need (ie manpower) and avoid having to worry about an on-site database.
2. Rapid Provisioning
   Rapid or on-demand self-service-based database provisioning takes a shorter period of time in contrast to the days or weeks it might take on a physical database. This not only reduces time to market, it also results in further cost savings.
3. Outsourcing
   Taking full advantage of DBaaS also means outsourcing administration and monitoring of databases. Backups, recovery, tuning, optimization, patching, upgrading and creation can all be “sent out” to others or even automated.
4. Enhanced Security
   Maintaining your databases virtually and on different servers creates a ‘by-default’ security mechanism that prevents security breaches. Because the database is off site, there is nothing to break into on site.
5. Tracking
   Database users can easily be tracked when using DBaaS. Granular metering of database usage can track usage time, space, availability guarantees, and resource consumption. Furthermore, it can provide a dashboard-style view of the data, allowing for a concise per-user rundown.
6. Manpower
   As mentioned above, one of the biggest benefits of DBaaS is the freeing up of staff. By going the DBaaS, IT staff is free to focus on application data, as opposed to administration of the database. DBaaS providers include a service-level agreement in addition to a complete operating environment. This leaves all of the administration tasks to someone else, freeing up your IT department.
7. Free Up Servers
   Just because your company is outsourcing their databases through DBaaS doesn’t mean that you can’t still use your old servers. Many companies choose to store data locally in addition to through their DBaaS solution.
8. Scalability
   DBaaS allows for on-demand scalability. Where once adding more hardware to a database involved freeing up room, purchasing new equipment, having IT install it, and integrating it into the existing hardware, DBaaS can do all of that with a simple expansion order.

Is DBaaS Right for Your Company?

DBaaS provides a robust platform that is suited to many company’s needs. In order to determine whether DBaaS is right for you, consider the ecosystem you currently employ. How will your tech stack grow and change in the future? What do you want and need out of a database? There are many options available today and the list is constantly growing and becoming more relevant to more users.

In fact, there are tailored and preconfigured solutions that you can choose from. DBaaS comes in a hosted, widely-used form (like MySQL, which is self-managed) as well as in a proprietary form (like DynamoDB). Hosted DBaaS allows managers to transition to other service providers with ease, while proprietary DBaaS limits users. It can, however, be more powerful.

The Future

Database management and DBaaS are continuing to evolve. No solution will fit a company exactly as they wish. DBaaS, however, offers many options and features that reduce limitations and offers companies the richness and flexibility they will need now and in the future.