It is an exciting time to be in business. And it is an equally exciting time to be a technology consumer. There have been a lot of really impressive technologies that were introduced in recent months, such as a self-driving taxi and smart cities. There are also older technologies in play like the Internet of Things, which is now powering smart factories and other applications.
But it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. These innovations are forcing businesses to rethink their approach when it comes to technology, as well as how they manage it. It’s either they adopt new technologies and adapt to being an efficient and fast enterprise, or else.
Thankfully, you have Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud to help you keep your organization in the running.
Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud: What Is It?
Here’s the good news. Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud is the same Oracle Database service you are currently using. That means you are already familiar with how it works, its features, and functionalities. You can start working on it with no learning curves. You get the same world-class database that is powering your business now.
But what’s different?
Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud requires no human intervention. It can work on its own. It can also apply security patches and updates automatically, without having to take the database offline.
The autonomous database uses machine learning to go through things that a typical database administrator performs, even installing critical updates and upgrades. It can also do some performance tuning when needed.
All of that can free up your time, as well as help you save on labor costs. It can also mean higher availability and more security for your database. The automatic performance tuning will also help optimize the usage of your storage resources and computer. These adjustments are often carried out on a rolling basis. This will lessen the downtime to only 30 minutes per year.
It’s not an automatic database
Automatic databases are different from autonomous databases. The former only monitors your database exceptions and sends database administrator notifications so that he or she can do something about it.
The problem with that setup is that it tends to overwhelm you with alerts. You can get around 17,000 notifications every week. Plus, most of the time, database professionals in your company can only look into four percent of that. Imagine just how many of these notifications go without being investigated, and how time-consuming it is to check each one out.
Imagine just how helpful it is to have an autonomous database work for your business considering that most of the apps that you use for your enterprise use a database of some sort.
Succeeding with Oracle Autonomous Database
Let’s recap the advantages of using an Oracle Autonomous Database:
- It is self-tuning.
- Your database administrator and the rest of your IT team will have more time for more important business matters.
- A more secure database.
- Significant cost savings.
These are fantastic benefits that every business will like to have. Giving your IT team more time to work on business-critical apps can help your business get the applications that you can use to get an edge.
However, not all businesses succeed in using autonomous databases. A critical factor in whether you succeed or fail is the understanding that this database uses machine learning to become independent.
For your autonomous database to learn correctly, it must teach itself using understandable and reasonable datasets and parameters. In short, you will need to set it up correctly for you to get the benefits later on.
Easier said than done
You might say that this advice does not need to be mentioned. But setting up your database correctly is easier said than done. It often needs skill sets and expertise that your own IT team might not have.
For some companies, they find that they will need to hire the right database management consultants to do the job. But how do you know if a consultant is fit for the job?
1. Check the experience.
The best consultant for your Oracle Autonomous Database will have specific expertise and experience working with advanced cloud tools and solutions. That includes Oracle Cloud solutions.
Oracle Autonomous Database uses Oracle Cloud’s machine learning tools to “learn” its job. These are pretty advanced skills that you need, and without sufficient experience, your consultant — and you — will be in trouble.
2. Check the industry-related experience, as well.
When it comes to a system that can benefit or stall your business’ future, you will want to make sure that the consultant you get will have implemented solutions for other companies in the same industry you operate in. This way, they will understand precisely what you need. They will also have a perspective from knowing the changes that your industry has gone through.
3. Be sure that the consultant listens to what you need.
While you will want a competent consultant, you simply cannot hire one just because they tick off all the boxes when it comes to skills and expertise. You should also ensure that they know how to listen.
No two businesses are alike, and you will have specific requirements that are unique only to your organization. The consultant should be able to give you precisely what you want, and they can only do that if they listen.
Four Cornerstone to the rescue
You do not have to look far if you need a partner in getting your Oracle Autonomous Database off the ground. Four Cornerstone is the best when it comes to enterprise technology. We have a team of experienced professionals who delivers customized solutions for your Oracle deployments. From on-premises to cloud deployments, we can help.
Four Cornerstone has also worked for a variety of companies belonging to different industries. We know your business and the environment you operate in. To get your Oracle Autonomous Database and a profitable future off the ground, call us at 817-377-1144.
Photo by Oracle.
