This brief describes the strategic, tactical, long-term, and short-term benefits of a database healthcheck environment, as well as what can be uncovered and recommendations for addressing issues and risks. Also documented is growth analysis to help plan for hardware outlay. IT leadership will know what to expect from beginning to end through each step of the healthcheck process and work with a dedicated senior-level DBA.
1. Database Environment Healthcheck Service
WHAT’S BURIED INSIDE THE
AVERAGE DATABASE ENVIRONMENT
IS SHOCKING. REMAIN IN CONTROL.
The database is at the center of your business applications and crucial information needed for
decision-making. And as data grows, database environments are becoming much more
complex. An objective third-party assessment will help you manage, control, and optimize:
Risk and security
Availability and performance
Compliance
Hardware planning
Backup and recovery
Change management
Hardware forecasts
Costs and budgeting
What you can expect:
1. Discovery – Meet with key IT staff to understand the
application requirements based on existing and future
business processes.
2. Analysis – Review all system and database logs,
statistics, configuration parameters, and business
processes to make observations or recommendations,
according to the criteria defined in the objectives.
3. Draft – Observations and recommendations are used
to develop the assessment document; review session
held with key ManageForce personnel.
4. Review – A review session is scheduled to discuss the
deliverable with you, guide you through the
documentation, and cover Q&A.
5. Remediation – Final recommendations, including
potential benefits and risks, are presented to you. You
can determine next steps for your database
environment and ask follow-up questions.
Signs that a healthcheck
is needed:
End-user experience is deteriorating, as
application performance problems often
lead back to the database.
Data needs are outstripping your current
capabilities.
Large databases need more tuning, backup,
recovery, and upgrade support.
Compliance or security policy is in question.
Documentation is missing, incomplete, or
confusing.
Backup SLAs are the same for all
applications, in spite of their importance to
the business.
Data is growing rapidly and you’re
purchasing hardware reactively.
Some database instances are unstable or
performance is lagging.
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MANAGEFORCE.COM INFO@MANAGEFORCE.COM 877-351-4491
2. WHAT A HEALTHCHECK CAN UNCOVER
Change, Configuration, and Release Management
Documented processes exist for changing applications and
systems in a predictable fashion with minimal or no
interruption in service.
A lack of change management is major cause of data
center failures. This can lead to introduction of bugs and
impact application availability.
High Availability
Based on your needs and industry benchmarks, we analyze
your processes and coverage by looking at the following
metrics:
System availability specifics/requirements
Acceptable data loss
Recovery time (RTO) for specific systems
Security Assessment
Surprisingly, unnecessary user privileges, weak password
policy, and out-of-date security updates are still common
security risks found during healthchecks.
A weak security foundation may lead to a security breach
such as data loss, data disclosure, loss of system
availability, corruption of data, and more.
Capacity and Storage Management
A lack of capacity and storage management will result in
increased downtime without forecasting when additional
storage or server resource capacity might be needed.
We analyze database application usage patterns,
document current network bandwidth, determine if
additional hardware might be needed based on historical
usage.
Compliance Assessment
If internal controls are in place, such as Sarbanes Oxley
(SOX), not adhering to the policies and procedures can
result in problems during an audit process.
We can work with your internal team members to
document policies and/or common procedures that apply
to the database environment.
Backup and Recovery
We can help retool your backup strategy to save costs or
meet aggressive restoration points, based on your precise
needs. At a minimum, we check that:
Every database has a documented backup/restore
plan.
Support is available 24x7, along with redundancy.
Database maintenance (index and integrity) is
routine.
Tasks are automated through jobs and alerts.
Transaction log backups are configured and
scheduled for all critical production systems.
Deliverables and Documentation
Your dedicated, senior-level DBA will provide documentation that covers assessment of all the areas mentioned above,
along with:
Supported sites
All contact information
Recommendations for remediation
Server-specific configurations
An analysis of current and future system updates
A listing of high privilege login accounts
Databases housed on C drives
Database owners
MANAGEFORCE.COM INFO@MANAGEFORCE.COM 877-351-4491
3. Complete service set:
Monitoring,
administration,
performance, and
strategic projects
U.S.-based DBAs with
15+ years experience;
leading technology and
comprehensive tools
Our People
Our average turnover rate is
less than three percent.
The average experience level
of our employees is 15+ years
and all are U.S. based.
We’ve supported the needs of
enterprise/Fortune 500, SMBs,
and public sector.
Database experts have been
employed by technology
leaders and the Fortune 1000.
The latest technology, as well
as proprietary best practices
and systems, are part of our
business model.
Our Approach
Our database services can be
bundled or scaled, starting
from monitoring.
We design a unique scope of
work (SOW) and elastic
support model for you.
Our custom SLAs are based on
your industry, region, and
other needs.
All engagements are assigned a
dedicated technical subject
matter expert.
Availability through nights,
weekends, holidays, and
time zones.
True Cost Savings
Fixed-fee, simple pricing model
prevents overruns, surprises,
and budgeting headaches.
We do not require a 40-hour
per-week minimum.
You can immediately reduce
net-operating expenses,
including time-off, benefits,
turnover, and training.
We understand all levels of
your stack to speed root-
cause analysis.
Full database support really is
possible for 20-30% less than a
full-time employee.
Simple pricing: Fixed fee
with no surprises or
weekly minimums;
custom service bundles
HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT