The emergence of cloud computing technology has resulted in a number of other technologies such as Database as a service (DaaS). The idea of Database as a Service is achieved by some cloud platforms that offer options for using DaaS, without physically launching a virtual database machine. This allows application owners not to have to implement and maintain the database on their own. The database service provider is responsible for database installation and maintenance. Application owners only enjoy the service and pay according to usage.
The architecture of a Database as a Service is fully designed to provide flexibility to the users. This includes provision of web-based console that are used by the end users to perform remote database configurations. A good example is the Amazone Web Services console which enables the user to monitor database statistics, create snapshots and launch database instances. DaaS also consists of a management component that controls database instances by the use of service API. An end user has access to the service API, which permits scaling and maintenance operations to be performed on the database instances. The software stack, which consists of database, operating system and third-party software is completely transparent to the end user. The service provider is responsible for patching, installing and updating the software stack.
Modern business organizations are embracing the idea of implementing Database as a Service. This increases the profits within the organization because of its cheap and affordable nature. It cuts off the workload of database installation and maintenance within the organization. Organizations have realized that in-house data systems are less secure and way too much expensive and slower to market. With only a few dollars, Database as a Service allows business operations to run more smoothly hence optimizing the profits.
Implementation of Daas lowers the costs of technology in several ways. First, it minimizes the need for IT staff and experts in an organization. Second, it increases efficiency in as far as sharing of organizational resources is concerned. It also minimizes the need for purchasing of hardware and software licenses required for the actual database implementation. Since the business is based on contracts, services can be acquired and dropped at will.
The key advantage of using Database as a Service is flexibility. The user can share resources with anyone he/she wishes. The users can also choose to share data to the public if they wish. Since everything is done online, issue of user location is eliminated. Service providers are always aware of how crucial security is. This ensures that security configuration and policies are always up to date with the implementation of the state of the art security procedures.
In conclusion, DaaS is highly profitable due to fast automated recovery from failures, automated failover and increased accessibility and performance. The only key issues with DaaS are potential privacy and security problems. This is because information is not stored by the owner, but the service provider. In case of a bankruptcy or a disaster in Database Service provider, information might be lost permanently, although this is a rare case because backup systems are always installed. As seen from the discussion above, the advantages far exceeds the disadvantages hence making it worth implementing Database as a Service in any organization.
Works Cited
Kapa, Krishna Kamal and Roger Lopez. "Database as a Service." (2012): 2-43.
