Data has long been an essential part of business. Today, the collection, storage, and dissemination of information now happen using different forms of technology – all the more so due to the pandemic. 

Due to this shift, it has become increasingly important to consider the best practices in order to make the most out of your organisation’s database management. This will ensure that all valuable and quality information is stored securely, and will help your company prepare for the different challenges it may face.

Below are just a few of the specific ideas you should consider when it comes to your database management:

1. Set clear goals

As with any other aspect of business, it is important to have clear goals and objectives that will dictate your plan of action. Understanding each stakeholder's current and future requirements (both internal and external) will determine the levels of performance, security, updates, and uptime you must deliver. It's also a good idea to have your agreed service level recorded on your internal wiki and viewable by the stakeholders so that the goalposts are clear. As the businesses and service levels change, the changes should also be recorded and communicated within the business. This helps to ensure the organisation is aligned and can also help funding keep pace with the changing requirements.

2. Make security a priority

Another important thing to do in data management is to make security a top priority. With a rise in cyber attacks and breaches, it is all the more important to enact precautions and preventive measures that will ensure that your databases remain impenetrable to hackers and outside parties. Those working in the field of computer science today will recommend that creating firewalls and encryptions are among the best ways of keeping a database safe; finding vulnerabilities within a system and understanding how to prevent them should always be a priority as well when it comes to proper database administration.

3. Have contingency plans

It is also necessary to put a system in place for protection in the event of a major problem arising. One of the many ways to do this is to set up a disaster recovery plan that accounts for different situations such as human error, server malfunctions, storage failures, and power outages. While many organizations have traditionally relied on backups, these no longer deliver the recovery time (RTO) and data loss (RTO) requirements for critical data. Fortunately, software solutions like Dbvisit Standby MultiPlatform make it easy and efficient to create a warm standby environment that can ensure a fast recovery and near-zero data loss from any disaster. This sort of setup should be the gold standard when it comes to contingency planning in database management. Arranging backup strategies like these make data recovery in the event of unforeseen issues easier and more efficient. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

4. Test, test, test

DBAs know testing is the foundation of Performance and Uptime. Utilise automated tools to remove manual tasks and free up time for testing updates, patches, and disaster recovery. Getting on the front foot with testing will result in less troubleshooting, satisfied internal customers, and an end to sleepless nights of not knowing if that untested DR plan will work if called upon. Many DBAs make the mistake of thinking that if they work harder they can get on top of testing, but at a point, we need to do things smarter and automate manual tasks with reputable automated tools.

Proper data management practices should revolve around the storage of quality information, top-notch security, strategic foresight, and accessibility. Making sure to tick each of these points off your list can easily spell success for your organisation.

Content intended only for the use of dbvisit.com
Written by Alicia Melvin