An increasing number of corporations realise that easy and fast access to relevant mission-critical information about e.g. customers or stock can be a great competitive advantage. This can sharpen marketing and sales as well as entail large cost savings – even for minor companies. Consequently larger amounts of data is handled today at the same time as the database administrators face an increasing demand for sophisticated data analyses from management. This in turn results in larger and more complex databases, a complexity that is enhanced by the demand for storage of not only text but also images etc.

However, this rapidly increasing trend has a "down-side" as well; To be able to obtain maximum effect from the advanced database maintenance programs one must often "get help". Many corporations lack staff competent enough to run and maintain these complex database administrators, simply because this staff is not on the payroll, because the company lacks the necessary resources to employ this staff – or in worst case because top management is not aware of the fact that this competence is essential.

All modern corporations use some kind of databased ERP solution. Since almost all of these systems in the market are based on complex database maintenance software, the ERP vendors have in principal "forced" the buying companies to also employ database administrative staff as well. But in small and medium-sized companies DBA often becomes a task "on the side" for the network administrator because there is not enough resources to employ a DBA specialist full-time. To ensure oneself that the databases are handled in the correct and most efficient way, these companies have two options. Seen from a market angle these two emerging market segments both have a gigantic potential for far-seeing software vendors and consultancy companies.

So what do these two solutions/new market segments look like?

1. There is a growing demand for, and a supply of, different types of maintenance programs for the most common database maintenance software. These can facilitate administration of the database maintenance programs and improve the original program’s functions (e.g. by simplified backup routines, advanced logging, consistency controls etc). (Incidentally, I believe that similar administrative "additive products" have a very bright future in the software industry in general, not only adapted for database managers but also for other systems like NT Server etc – not to mention the e-trade dimension!)

2. A new type of service based on surveillance and administration of the databases. IT managers must examine and assess their maintenance routines and -competence and acquire external assistance when and where needed. This makes it possible for consultancy companies to offer the market a kind of "alternative outsourcing" in which the company retains the responsability and the decisive power over all hardware and software, but where the consultant manages the daily routines and the uptime of the systems. Some consultancy companies have indeed started to offer "surveillance solutions" like this.

For maximum safety and efficiency, these two solutions can (and should) be combined. What one must not do, however, is to for reasons of prestige or stinginess neglect the complexity of database maintenance or the benefits of a well-maintained DBA as a competitive tool. The key to success is in your data and how you handle it.