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5 business risks. Help is a PO away, data corruption, performance issues, backups really working, sure its secure?
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Many businesses assume modern cloud platforms and automation tools eliminate the need for database administrators. While technology has evolved, the risks of operating without dedicated database expertise remain high. From performance issues and failed backups to security vulnerabilities and data corruption, the absence of professional database management can expose organisations to serious operational and financial risks. Let's explore the five biggest risks of running a business without database administrators and how proactive management protects your data infrastructure.
A database is an object where we store data such as customer names and addresses, order details or operational data. It is often referred to as the 'backend' of an application. Databases are the backbone of applications used for business operations. They power reporting, applications, automation workflows, customer systems, and financial platforms.
Without proper administration, databases become fragile, inefficient, and vulnerable. Without integrity the data is worthless and you may never know who owes you money.
Let’s explore the top five risks.
Without a dedicated database administrator, businesses often rely on reactive support. Issues are only addressed once systems fail.
Common problems include:
When no one is actively monitoring and optimising database performance, problems escalate into critical incidents.
Business impact includes:
Proactive database management can prevent firefighting emergencies and reduce recovery time. If you are buying blocks of hours and have run out during an incident, you may have to raise a PO, get it signed off, invoice generated and paid with confirmation before you can access those skills. For that to happen during an outage is very high risk and will do doubt put the business in a very poor light.
Database corruption is one of the most serious risks organisations face.
Without proper maintenance, corruption can occur due to:
Without experienced administrators, corruption may go undetected until critical data is lost.
Consequences include:
Professional database oversight protects data integrity. Knowing what to do and when to do it can save your data. You do not want to be googling an answer during a high stress system outage!
Database performance directly impacts business operations.
Without optimisation, databases can suffer from:
These issues lead to:
Database administrators continuously monitor and tune performance to keep systems running efficiently. Database usage changes over time. Applications add and remove features leading to the database being used in different ways. The amount of data stored can also start to cause issues as more data is added. Queries which once worked now do not complete or take much longer as the amount of memory required to process the query is no longer enough.
Many businesses assume backups are running successfully, but never test them.
Without DBA oversight, backup issues may include:
When disaster strikes, businesses discover backups are unusable.
The result can be:
Database administrators ensure backup strategies are reliable and regularly tested. We can guarantee that a database disaster will happen in the days after a weekend backup has failed. This can lead to data loss or protracted recovery times. The last time we had to sort this type of issues it took us 36 hours over a 2 day weekend working around the clock to recover the data. In that instance we were able to recover all of the operational data except for one invoice which was being added when the failure occurred. The infrastructure team were in charge of the database backups prior to that outage but it was returned to the DBA team after months of requests and that outage where it should have been.
Databases store sensitive business and customer data.
Without dedicated security management, organisations risk:
Security breaches can lead to:
Database administrators play a critical role in protecting sensitive data. Encryption keys for databases and data columns are all managed by the DBA as well as data masking to protect data being seen by users without permission.
Modern businesses rely on data and analytics platforms that depend on reliable database infrastructure that is highly available.
Poor database management can cause:
Strong database foundations are essential for scalable utilisation.
Businesses that invest in database administration benefit from:
These benefits directly support operational efficiency and growth.
Not every business needs a full-time in-house DBA team. The costs of one DBA can be prohibitive for smaller businesses and if you have one you really need two for redundancy or you need an alternative.
Many organisations choose flexible options such as:
These models provide expert coverage without the full-time overhead. With the rate minimum wage is going up it will already cost your business £2,000 per month for someone with no experience in a job let alone as a DBA.
To reduce risk, businesses should focus on:
A proactive approach prevents major incidents.
Running a business without proper database administration exposes organisations to unnecessary risk. Performance problems, data corruption, failed backups, and security vulnerabilities can quickly escalate into serious business disruptions. By investing in professional database management, whether in-house or managed services, organisations protect their most valuable digital asset, their data. Reliable databases form the foundation for application avaialblility, analytics, and scalable digital operations.
If your business depends on data (and whose doesn't), database administration is not optional, it is the vital foundation your entire business depends on.
Started programming in VB 6 at the age of 15. Got into databases for AS and A levels and didn't know that database administration was a job so I went to study Software Engineering at UWE. I just thought database management would be considered 'IT'. I have been a full time DBA since 2010. Love everything data, software development and just tech in general.
