See how DBaaS solutions provide a quick and easy way for businesses to integrate large volumes of data at scale.
Overview
As the amount of data produced increases and as this influx influences every industry, being able to store, access, and use data is essential to business optimization. For this reason, a database-as-a-service, or DBaaS, is quickly becoming one of the most important cloud computing offerings, as it provides a quick and easy way for businesses to reap the benefits of large amounts of data.
DBaaS—also known as managed databases—is software that allows users to set up, operate, and scale databases without worrying about the hardware or logistics of maintaining a database. A database is provided, usually in the cloud, without any on-prem hardware. The provider maintains all the backend operations such as configuration management, automated backups, patches, updates, and service monitoring. The user just accesses and uses the database.
The provider will deliver the database through an API, which is accessible via the web. Most DBaaS solutions utilize public clouds, but some are compatible with private or hybrid clouds, or on-prem solutions, as well. They’re often delivered as part of a comprehensive platform, such as IaaS and, like most as-a-services, they’re usually pay as you go.
DBaaS is an affordable and quick way to integrate data into your business. This as-a-service makes databases accessible to all kinds of users and organizations, and streamlines database set up and use so you can get straight to enjoying the benefits of having data integrated. DBaaS allows your IT staff and developers to be more agile, because they can spend more time actually using data, not managing it.
DBaaS solutions also have outstanding performance and make your data highly available to your whole team, without fussing over updates or backend management. And with built-in security—via data encryption or other security measures—they’re secure and dependable.
While DBaaS offers many of the same cost savings, scalability, and time saving perks of others as-a-services, it provides more control and flexibility, without changing the essential service. Many other as-a-services are fixed when it comes to what you get, especially with an as-a-service like SaaS. Depending on the provider, organizations may be able to choose where and how their database is deployed, and how much management they want to do versus how much they’d like to outsource.
While there is a good amount of flexibility with a DBaaS, it’s important to be aware of the restrictions. Depending on the provider, there may be compatibility issues or you may have to go through the provider to make changes to your database structure. A good provider, like Teradata, will offer optimum flexibility with few restrictions.
DBaaS also lives under the umbrella of another as-a-service. It’s often considered to be a type of platform-as-a-service, or PaaS, though DBaaS is more specific. With PaaS, a basic platform is provided. DBaaS is a platform, but it’s specifically for data storage, while PaaS could be a range of platform types.
A DBaaS can help your organization streamline data integration and make it easier to gather and utilize data quickly, so you can better understand your customers, respond to demand, and drive outcomes. Your organization can easily deploy and integrate a database and cloud-based data analytics platform, so you can start making data-driven decisions and driving outcomes.
And with all your data in the cloud, a DBaaS also makes it easy for your team to access and utilize data from wherever they are so they can work together seamlessly—which is essential as we move towards more remote work and dispersed teams.
Data and data analytics are becoming absolutely essential to finding success in every industry. To be truly future-ready, every business in every industry needs to be able to tap into large amounts of data and use data analytics to inform and drive growth. With a data-driven approach and a cloud-based data analytics platform, businesses can use data to inform and improve upon every aspect of business—from production to supply chains to customer experiences.