researchHQ’s Key Takeaways:
- Database as a Service (DBaaS) is a paradigm for data management in which a third-party service provider hosts a database and provides the associated software and hardware support.
- A typical DBaaS, as a component of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), involves initial setup, operation and scaling.
- Benefits of DBaaS include high-quality service, faster deployment, resource elasticity, rapid provisioning, business agility and security.
Database as a service (DBaaS) is one of the fastest growing cloud services—it’s projected to reach $320 billion by 2025. The service allows organizations to take advantage of database solutions without having to manage and maintain the underlying technologies.
DBaaS is a cost-efficient solution for organizations looking to set up and scale databases, especially when operating large-scale, complex, and distributed app components.
In this article, we will discuss Database as a Service, how it works, and its benefits to your organization from both technology and business perspectives.
What is Database as a Service?
Database as a Service is defined as:
“A paradigm for data management in which a third-party service provider hosts a database and provides the associated software and hardware support.”
Database as a Service is a cloud-based software service used to set up and manage databases. A database, remember, is a storage location that houses structured data. The administrative capabilities offered by the service includes scaling, securing, monitoring, tuning and upgrade of the database and the underlying technologies, which are managed by the cloud vendor.
These administrative tasks are automated, allowing users to focus on optimizing applications that use database resources. The hardware and IT environment operating the database software technologies is abstracted. Users don’t need to focus their efforts on the database implementation process itself. The service is suitable for:
- IT shops offering cloud-based services
- End users such as developers, testers, and DevOps personnel
How DBaaS works
Depending on the service, the DBaaS service can be a managed front-end SaaS service or a component of the comprehensive Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS) stack.
Here’s how a typical DBaaS, as part of the IaaS, works:
Initial setup
The first step involves provisioning a virtual machine (VM) as an environment abstracted from the underlying hardware. The database is installed and configured on the VM.
Depending on the service, a predefined database system is made available for end users. Users can access this database system using an on-demand querying interface or a software system. Alternatively, developers can use a self-service model to set up and configure databases according to a custom set of parameters.
