The growth in the volume of data that organizations are expected to process shows no signs of slowing down. In most cases, it will only intensify as new data streams are used to collect information regarding clients, products, and processes. The Internet of Things (IoT) is one example, generating data from such diverse sources as automated assembly lines and smart refrigerators. Businesses are looking for ways to use their data assets to outperform the competition and address their customers’ evolving requirements.
All this information that is being collected needs a place to live, and that usually means databases are involved. As the source of raw material from which business decisions are made, a company’s databases are instrumental to its ability to function in their market sector. This raises the importance of managing the databases efficiently and maintaining their availability. The ability of an enterprise’s database team to handle these responsibilities makes the role of DBA critically important to its success.
Poor Data Management Can be Costly
It makes sense that if proficient data management can be valuable to business then the opposite is also true. Research indicates that searching for relevant data can result in substantial wasted time that may be as much as two hours per day. This adds up over time and businesses may be losing up to two million dollars a year due to problems with data management. Reduced employee productivity and making less timely business decisions are two outgrowths of faulty data management.
The changing regulatory compliance landscape that affects an organization’s information assets is driving the adoption of new techniques regarding data management. Data governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) are three related facets of a holistic approach to data management. The focus of GRC is to prevent data loss which can occur from a cyberattack, fraud or identity theft. Privacy laws and regularity guidelines are forcing companies to address data management more comprehensively or run the risk of substantial financial penalties. Data breaches also lead to reduced consumer confidence and loss to an enterprise’s reputation. Both can be very hard to repair.
The primary objectives of a GRC strategy involve controlling and auditing access to data resources. Satisfying these objectives require that your DBAs act as the first line of defense by locking down access to the data assets residing in their databases. In order to accomplish this goal, the team needs the right tools to manage the data and users on the systems for which they are responsible. Processes that can lighten the load and reduce the complexity of administering multiple platforms are essential to a successful data management initiative.
Help in Keeping it All Under Control
IDERA’s DBArtisan is a component of the DB PowerStudio suite of database tools designed to streamline your team’s support and administrative activities. Using the application will boost your team’s productivity by allowing them to manage instances of all major databases from a single platform. Just the time saved by not having to constantly switch between different tools to get their job done will add up to daily increases in employee productivity and efficiency.
The security management features of DBArtisan enable your database team to manage users, privileges, and roles across all supported platforms from a single common interface. Data classification capabilities allow granular levels of security that are applied to specific data and objects within a database. The tool helps your team keep access to your organization’s sensitive data restricted to the proper entities.
Once the security of your data is ensured, DBArtisan’s other features, such as its ability to identify and resolve performance issues come into play. The application provides your IT team with a valuable tool for handling the challenges of managing data in today’s complex and regulated environments. Employing it can save your organization time and money, which is never a bad thing.