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Staffing the Database Function: Executive Summary
IT executives know that databases are important, but they sometimes find it difficult to justify the support staff required to maintain the database infrastructure. How many personnel should be dedicated to database support for a company of our size? What is the typical ratio of database staff to the total IT staff? How many headcount do other IT organizations dedicate to the database function? What are the economic returns for database software? This Research Byte is an executive summary of our full report, Database Staffing Benchmarks, which provides answers to these questions.
February, 2006
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The 2005 Database Perspective
Next year promises to provide improvement in the lives of overworked database administrators (DBAs) along with more challenges in the forms of security threats, new licensing schemes, and more complex products. In general, database vendors are responding to customer requirements by revising their software to make the software easier to administer, faster to recover from errors, and simpler to use. The recently conducted Computer Economics Information Systems Spending and Technology Trends survey shows that the potential for databases in 2005 is better than several other types of software.
December, 2004
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Open Source in the Enterprise
Today, more corporate enterprise IT organizations are making the decision to adopt open source technology as viable products emerge, and as executives face increased pressure to drive costs out of the IT side of the business. Further, a key to open source becoming a viable element of corporate IT strategy is the fact that an appropriate support infrastructure and business model has emerged. Open source software alternatives exist for practically every enterprise software infrastructure need. But is your business ready for open source technology? No doubt, there are opportunities and challenges. This article looks at some of the best practices for knowing when to adopt and when to avoid open source software, and offers some advice on setting corporate policies that will guide your employees on the use of open source software. Click here to purchase. - $99
October, 2004
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Database Servers Up Productivity
Among the most promising features of new products in the database server pipeline is better support of web services. Computer Economics estimates that migrating from ten-year-old order entry systems to modern versions, companies can cut costs by 50% or more. The savings come from a combination of less expensive hardware and efficiencies of scale in data entry.
September, 2003
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IT Contract and Consulting Providers Receive Mediocre Report Cards
A newly released study conducted by Computer Economics indicates that most end user organizations do not feel their contract and consulting service providers are delivering as high a quality of service as they would like.
October, 2002
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Will the Cost of Database Licensing Rise? (April 2002)
Does the software you sell, or the software you buy, rely upon a database of "public" information, or a compilation of facts? Examples of such databases could include lists of names and addresses, geographic information, or statistical compilations. Whether you are the licensor or the licensee, you have probably taken for granted the free use of this information. The adage that "nothing is free," however, may prove true in the realm of database licensing as well. If you incorporate such data into your company's products, this could mean increased licensing overhead, and if you use such software, you may expect this expense to be passed on to you by your vendor.
May, 2002
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Change is the One Constant in the Database Market
Databases are more essential today than they ever were. The problems of database management, however, are growing exponentially. Data corruption, security, meta data, Y2K, Web compatibility, XML (Extensible Markup Language), and cross-platform operability are just a few of the challenges confronting those administering databases. Database vendors from the top tier to the bottom are confronting many of these issues and are developing applications to address them. These revisions, however, often add to the burden of database management.
March, 2002