DBaaS on the Rise: What’s Driving Adoption?

As companies grapple with cloud migration, exactly how and where to store data remains in question. A recent survey from Analytics Market Research shows strong growth for the database and database-as-a-service (DBaaS), with a predicted CAGR of 14% over the decade between 2022 and 2032. Let’s explore what’s driving growth.

What is DBaaS?

Database-as-a-Service is another entry in the “anything as a service” (XaaS) series. Also called managed databases, DBaaS allows companies to offload database architectures to the cloud, reducing hardware investment and maintenance costs. 

As companies accrue more data volume, they’ll need more flexibility in processing options as well as storage. With DBaaS, they can set up SQL server environments without the complexity of setup or installations.

The survey found that the managed services market is still a trend because companies need help and guidance in managing complexity and extracting value from increasingly big data. They want better performance and increased security without needing extensive in-house teams or upfront investments in hardware. Managed services could offer them the specialized experiences they crave and move companies further down the line of digital transformation.

Additionally, several other trends are in progress:

• An overall increase in managed services as companies attempt to build usable architectures in the era of big data and drive business value forward.
• NoSQL databases—which are cloud-friendly and scalable—are on the rise. 
• Serverless architectures are growing in popularity because of their adaptability and affordability in cloud applications.
• An increase in container deployments has also appeared across enterprise cloud deployments.

See also: 22 Top Cloud Database Vendors

Flexibility is attracting companies to DBaaS

Companies have grown tired of increasingly rigid architectures, and many are upgrading legacy infrastructures, at least in part. While hybrid environments are growing in popularity—and some companies are still defaulting to on-premises systems for sensitive operations—the cloud is still a siren song. 

DBaaS providers offer the same infrastructure benefits as other XaaS providers do. They provide tools for companies to monitor the DBaaS environment, but database administrators have very little to do on the back end of software administration.

This low level of system administration and cost complexity allows companies to only pay for what they’re using as they need it. They don’t need to make long-term decisions for infrastructure, an attractive feature after pandemic disruption. 

Automation capabilities are an important factor

IT teams spend a lot of time managing, provisioning, troubleshooting, and responding. Automating these tasks removes a significant time and resource burden from IT. It allows both business users and IT to focus on other value-creating tasks.

Automation is also handy for risk management. These tools can provide observability into the infrastructure, offer next steps for incident response, and facilitate more efficient monitoring.

Automation helps decrease costs associated with database management. With the ability to choose exactly what best suits their needs, DBaaS can streamline cloud operations and data storage without sacrificing capability.

See also: How to Select a Database Infrastructure for Modern Global Retail Operations

The Survey Includes Key Players and Industries

The survey notes quite a few key players in the field, including familiar ones like Oracle, AWS, and Microsoft. In addition, crowd favorites such as MongoDB and Tiger Analytics are on the list. It also includes multi-cloud providers like Rackspace.

Industries included in the survey include BFSI, Telecom and IT, Manufacturing, healthcare, and life sciences. Each of these industries has a strong need to manage big data with care and security, and many include enterprises grappling with technical and data debt. DBaaS can provide these industries with some flexibility. 

DBaaS may offer lucrative service models

The rise of big data could present significant opportunities for cloud service providers looking to expand their operations. The need for managed services is growing, and companies are willing to invest in expert-level services in lieu of investing yet more dollars into on-premises hardware. 

Companies want the flexibility and composability to manage data in an agile manner and only pay for the processing and storage they actually need. While this doesn’t guarantee a complete cloud migration, it does spell some growth for cloud-related architectures. The benefits of DBaaS include the following:

• Scalability: Companies can easily adjust as their usage needs change, a plus in a disruptive world.
• Cost-effectiveness: Pay-as-you-go models could allow companies to budget more easily over the long term and avoid expensive upfront costs associated with on-premises systems.
• Ease of use: Service providers manage databases so developers can work on building what they need.
• Performance: DBaaS offers optimized environments that provide better service than self-managed systems when there isn’t a resident database architect on the team.
• Security: XaaS companies prioritize staying on top of the latest security measures, maintaining updates, and patching loopholes.

Considering these benefits, it’s no wonder DBaaS will show strong growth potential over the next decade. The survey showcases the opportunities available to companies that make thoughtful decisions to move to managed services and have a long-term growth plan in place. We’ll likely continue to see XaaS rise in popularity.