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CEO's Connection
Are You Ready for the Next Generation of Database Architecture?
by Rob Gardos, CEO
If not, you'd better get ready because it's already happening. Database architects have realized that having a hodgepodge of big boxes running one database per application per server and, of course, a 4:1 ratio of production to non-production databases is probably not the most efficient way to run a database infrastructure. Maybe it's the regulators or the diminishing talent pool of DBAs that brought about this shift in perception. Perhaps the sheer amount of data and number of databases under management has moved organizations to the tipping point. Whatever the reason, attitudes about database management are shifting.
For sure we'd like to thank Oracle for RAC and its grid vision. RAC is a fantastic building block for a more virtualized and cost-effective database and we credit Oracle for helping educate people through their marketing efforts. As is often the case, however, the functionality and usability has yet to catch up with the marketing claims; but the bottom line is that people are starting to think about things differently, paving the way for the creation of more efficient, more automated and less error prone database infrastructures. I attribute this new way of thinking for keeping us so busy at GridApp.
By combining the flexibility and power of Oracle RAC with the database management capability of GridApp Clarity, our clients get the best of all worlds: simplicity, control and power. Here are some of the benefits:
- Capacity upgrade events are a thing of past – simply point and click to add capacity online to an existing database
- The complexity of deploying RAC is completely eliminated – Imagine your CIO being able to create a RAC cluster in minutes
- No more UAT, testing, staging, development or QA environments - these can be created on the fly when you need them
- No more third party clustering solutions for HA – RAC is inherently highly available, though be careful, the super single cluster promoted by Oracle is doomed to fail
- Stop over-purchasing and hoping you’ve got enough capacity – Business rules dynamically adjust capacity to handle load fluctuations
- Don't rely on your temperamental DBA – Enforce and automate your best practices and maintain complete accountability forever
- No more monkey work – Make your DBA expense resources into revenue machines; their talents can be put to better use than just keeping your databases up
It's quite simple. Distributed systems have several fundamental advantages and while the path to RAC is not as 'seamless' as Oracle would lead you to believe, it is worth the effort. Without a management layer handling the added complexity, you simply wind up with more of everything – more servers, more headaches, more time and of course more Oracle licenses. This is great for Oracle, but not your business.
Robert Gardos
President and CEO
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