News & Events

Database backups still form the back bone of every IT Disaster Recovery plan, but are they redundant in the Cloud world we live in today? Well, the simple fact is that they are the most reliable mechanism, regardless of database technology, by which a “point in time restore” function can be enabled for your data. Critical for virtually all business applications.

DSP Database Managed Services (“DSP”), one of the UK’s leading Oracle and Microsoft data platform support specialists, has secured substantial investment from private equity house YFM Equity Partners (“YFM”).

Oracle cloud migrations are becoming more and more popular among businesses, but many companies still choose to operate with legacy systems.

Will DBAs be fired now people are buying autonomous databases? Does 18c mean the end of DBAs? There’s been a lot of talk in the Oracle community, both online and at events, with some amusing predictions claiming 18c means the Beginning Of The End.

Have you ever met a DBA who didn’t look overworked? Keeping the lights on and everything running smoothly can be a very stressful job, and we’ve highlighted four key areas where DBAs often call us in for a hand in this article.

It is time to move your data to the cloud.  Companies that moved their on-premises and hosted data to Azure can see real benefits and cost savings.

Effective database management takes careful, round-the-clock attention from highly paid technical staff. They are prone to breakdown from hardware, network or human failure, cyber-attacks and power outages, and can be overwhelmed very easily by spikes in traffic.

Golden Rule #1 Business First & Technology Second

Today’s retail marketplace is driven by consumers who want everything on-demand.

From 1999 to 2018 the Oracle Database has seen a huge number of upgrades, enhancements and transformations. We trace the recent path from Oracle 11g through to Oracle 18c, the fully automated database (or so we are told).

Seen as practically everything in the digital world is associated with cloud one way or another — unless specifically kept in local storage for security purposes; tech geniuses continue to find new ways to organize, process and present data. In conjunction with exceptional innovation throughout the technology industry, cloud computing will play a more and more fundamental role in our lives.

Clouds are exposed to the risks of myths. Myths prove to obstruct innovation and often frighten us, further distracting organizations from making progress forcing a lack in innovation and overall outcomes. The most predominant myth about cloud is that it frequently saves money.

Tuning Oracle is considered one of the dark arts of database administration, and this notoriety is partly derived from the complexity of business workloads and IT platforms which is not getting any simpler when you consider Oracle Cloud, AWS or Azure

Businesses are subject to change and their database needs to keep up. That's why a scalable database is essential for a modern business.

In the not too distant past relational database infrastructures, whilst reasonably complex, were still straightforward to support….if you had the right skills, experience and a modest array of monitoring / connectivity tools of course.

It's the greatest fear of CTOs and IT Managers alike – the loss or failure of valuable data. To appreciate the importance of data protection, businesses need to properly understand the consequences a database failures can bring.

With growing concerns over the safety of data, it's never been more important to have a plan in place to protect your interests. That's where Disaster Recovery and High Availability come in – some of the most important words in data protection!

In the age of big data, public cloud, private cloud it’s easy to be pushed into constantly thinking about the future... What should you optimise though and how can you be sure it’ll make a difference? Would knowing it could give you a competitive edge be worth considering?

How can your Manufacturing business benefit from constant production management by adopting data modernisation, digital transformation and the cloud?

With advances in technology over the last five years, digital transformation has gripped...

It’s an interesting concept proactivity. We all want to work proactively but, to put it simply, business-as-usual gets in the way. That’s why at dsp we have made proactivity our mantra – so that you can focus on your business.

Traditional Versus Cloud - Most companies are running custom applications that are stitched together, they have purpose-built hardware to think about, and have specialised teams, and everything has been carefully customised (over many years in some cases!).

Our CTO Simon Brooks dives deep into the world of Recovery as a Service and explains the fundamental differences between the two. I know this has opened my eyes to Data Recovery.

The value of cloud adoption

Companies of all sizes are moving to the Cloud for its many benefits:

Microsoft team up with London’s law enforcers to deliver Azure storage to the officer body camera program.

With the IT industry moving into the cloud, will organisations that cant afford it suffer? Not if Microsoft have anything to do with it.

We look into three areas of Big Data that your organisation could take advantage of in order to grow.

Microsoft help the educational sector with the storage and database in the their cloud, Azure.

A quick look at some patches from quarters Oracle release

dsp collect awards in all categories nominated in at this years' UKOUG. Find out how we did.

The retail industry have been slow off the mark when migrating to the cloud...A high-end fashion have just taken the leap.

We've done some research around the cloud and the benefits that will come to your organisations if you were to enhance your company via migration.

Cloud computing is the future of data. The Ministry of Defense are moving into the future, employing Microsoft Azure and Office 365 as their chariot of choice.

Four tips to ensure total security, when taking big data to the cloud.

A look into the life of Eco-friendly 'Evergreen' IT services, the Cloud and Continuous Maintenance support, from our Chief Technical Officer and Innovation Specialist Simon Brooks

Run through of the cloud, its main three providers, their UK based data centres and where they are located. Looking at what this means to you and your organisation.

News on how the Oracle's Standard Edition 2 offering is now being hosted on Amazons cloud offering AWS

In a world where databases are built for scale, where optimisation is paramount and scaling is an expected necessity. We’d like to highlight this video from MongoDB on how to achieve all three.

Apprenticeship Awards 2016

A quick guide to what we do to ensure our Oracle Database Managed Service clients encounter Uptime All The Time.

Data in the cloud is the way forward...why not take advantage of Oracle's free 30 day trial first to see if its right for you

Database environments need monitoring constantly...are you a reactive or proactive type of DBA?

The latest news about support options available for Oracle Database versions

Take advantage of Oracle's a free 30-day trial for database backup solutions and see how easy it is to use and back up your data

Microsoft Azure and NBC team up to host 2016 Olympics in the Cloud

Why you should be taking advantage of Oracle's a free 30-day trial for database cloud services

The third and final installment in our blog series - Talking about the benefits a Database Managed Service can have on your organisation.

Organisations that are moving to the cloud are choosing Microsoft's cloud offering, Azure as their first choice...what are your plans for the future of your IT estate?

We are pleased to announce that dsp has been shortlisted for the 2016 UK OUG ‘Database’ and ‘Managed Services’ Partner of the Year Awards.

These awards provide recognition to all Oracle Partners for the contribution of service they deliver to their client base.

Our second installment in our blog series - Running through what a Database Managed Service actually is and how this can benefit your organisation.

Defining the true cost of database downtime and what does this mean? 

Continuous Maintenance is a methodology drawing upon current industry thinking and underpinned by proven industry technologies. It is dsp’s solution to keeping both your current and legacy systems up to date…all the time…and all at a low risk to your business.

Blog series - Running through what a Database Managed Service actually is and how this can benefit your organisation.

Following the investment from Simon Goodenough and the strategic sale of dsp’s E-Business Suite practice, dsp are proud to announce the launch of their new website.

There has always been the age old question of which is best, NoSQL or Relational Databases (well since database have been around). Here's what we we think...

dsp today announced it has sold its Oracle ERP practice to Dublin-based Version 1. Employees and customers of the divested business transferred to Version 1 on Friday April 29th.

On 14th July 2014, Microsoft ends support for Windows Server 2003. And just this week I was talking to a Microsoft Leader and he told me that half of us in the UK are still running Windows Server 2003 (58% to be precise). Which half are you?

Award winning IT services provider dsp is set to enjoy fast-tracked growth as it welcomes Simon Goodenough on-board as its new Executive Chairman. Simon Goodenough is part of a Private Investment Group that has agreed to fund the next phase of growth at dsp.

The leading IT innovators at dsp are attempting to keep up their award-winning streak with three new nominations at the annual UK Oracle User Group (UKOUG) Partner of the Year Awards.

The answer; Yeah, probably…..

We asked one of our Managed Services DBAs to talk us through a time they have given outstanding customer service at dsp…

Here is the second of 5 blogs written by our Managed Services Practice Head - Marcus Cowles. In this series, Marcus will discuss the top incidents logged against Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server database systems.

As our business grows, we’re seeing more and more demand for our services through partners. So in our simple approach to things, we assess IT Solution Providers that choose to send their customers our way, or integrate our services into theirs.

Our Microsoft Practice Head talks to us about the ups and downs of his work and how his inspirational Wife helps him through it...

We asked one of our SQL Server DBA support consultants… here’s what he had to say…

dsp realise that to find and retain some of the greatest minds in our industry is hard – not only hard but sometimes impossible.

The Oracle innovation tour was a huge success with a number of IT professionals from high profile companies making an appearance, including Monsoon Accessorize, BBC and Harrods.

Smart, innovative and fun are just some words to describe the company and its employees.

Our MD Dev Nayak recently ran a triathlon for an independent UK charity ‘The Red Rubber Ball Foundation’.

Not that long ago dsp's Finance Director Tuhel Alom was a young man starting to make an impact on his career. So we asked Tuhel to write a letter to his younger self sharing his advice and experiences … here is what he had to say …

One of our Oracle Solution Consultants tells us what he’s been up to …

1991 - Gulf War kicked off, England hosted the 1991 Rugby World Cup, the Terminator was back, Brian Adams's stole the year, and one more thing… a Computer Science graduate started off his first role as an Oracle DBA - our current MD.

A Look At Some Successful Projects

Our very first apprentice has completed his first year at dsp and we are all very proud to say he is now a permanent member of our team and a real part of the dsp family. Here is his reflection upon the last year

Last Saturday dsp had their very first BBQ to celebrate the start of summer, which we all thought was never going to arrive.

Picture the scene you have worked all the overtime your ship could muster ready for Christmas so you could give your family the festive period they deserve.

In between providing the best level of support for our customers, our Managed Services Team are training the next generation of Oracle and SQL Database Masters and that is why they have taken on another apprentice.

We're a pretty diverse bunch here who aren't just Oracle and SQL Server Support specialists. Amongst us we have...

At dsp we love Christmas almost as much as we love Databases and Applications

One of Plato’s works called ‘Meno’, was on the differences between having ‘Knowledge’ and having just an ‘opinion’ (or belief). The most famous dialogue in this work was 'The Road to Larissa'.

One of our New business development team talks to us about the Database consolidation, licensing and the ‘best’ price …

There are worst places to work than dsp. Everyone works hard to ensure dsp are the best at what they do. But as importantly, the people make dsp what it is today – including, if not especially the board.

Last August we made a really big change. We gave dsp a complete makeover – new logo, new website, a new wizzy style – but our core values and promise to our customers remained the same – delivering uptime, all the time!

Our Financial Director Tuhel Alom talks to us about his thoughts on the current economy and what he thinks the future looks like ...

Last week dsp were invited to the Worldwide Partner Conference hosted by Microsoft which attracted over 14,000 attendees.

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches around the world. With their “Mo’s” men raise vital funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health.

dsp would like to invite you to our very first charity pub quiz, all in aid of the Red Rubber Ball Foundation Charity.

I know it’s been bugging you – that age old question: what can dsp do that Yosemite Sam can’t do?

So last night we had our first dsp / Red Rubber Ball Quiz night in our trusty local, the White Swan in Covent Garden. And what a success!

dsp is now working with Investors in People, a government-backed organisation which helps companies develop their staff's full potential.

At dsp we hope you are enjoying the Bank holiday weekend as much as we are, It is nice to have a little break from Microsoft SQL Servers, Oracle Database and E Business Suite.

dsp are very proud to be partnering with a well-known brand to move them into the Public Cloud for their Enterprise systems.

One of Our New Business Development Team talks to us about Agile and his understanding on an area that is fairly new to him …

dsp is a strong supporter of the Red Rubber Ball foundation, through our fundraising we have managed to put a young girl in Kenya through her entire secondary education and we have just started our sponsorship of our second child.

This is the second part of our two part blog post on the history of Oracle.

IT projects can take many different guises. They can involve work on IT services or infrastructure, development of applications or websites - or even research into new technologies.

An interesting article in BBC News Business popped up a few weeks ago with the above title. Go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24962989 for the article

Any project has a budget associated with it. The budget may or may not be flexible. Although the DBA executing a backup and restore for one of the applications may not be concerned about the cost of consolidation, the lead who is part of the planning must be aware of the impact that decisions play into the cost of not only the project, but also the ownership of the architecture going forward.

It's that time of the week again for a bit of Friday fun. This week we'd like to hear from you - what's your best tech joke?

Agile Development and Delivery is all about approaching and delivering projects using agile principles and methodology, which are different to traditional methods.

In the aftermath of RBS system crash on Cyber Monday, which broke the record for the busiest online shopping day, Ross McEwan the boss of the Royal Bank of Scotland group made the astonishing admission that ‘years of underinvestment led to an unacceptable IT crash’.

Here are the initial results from the poll we are running on LinkedIn… It's interesting to see the impact of cloud on the industry and database community - primarily those that are providing Oracle DBA support and Microsoft SQL Server support.

On 3rd February thousands gathered at the San Jose McEnergy Convention Center in California for the 2014 Oracle Value Chain Summit which taught lessons on how companies could transform their supply chains into information-driven value chains.

Oracle Corporation has come a long way to become the multinational technology company that it is today.

If there's anything that we understand at dsp, it's the importance of uptime. However, over the years there have been some prime examples of massive organisations enduring some costly downtime!

In 2012 a list was drawn up by CNNMoney of the top 100 jobs in the US for opportunities, great pay and outstanding prospects.

The primary focus of any project manager is keeping projects on track, which can be a daily challenge when there are constant requests for change and additions to the project.

IT projects can take many different guises. They can involve work on IT services or infrastructure, development of applications or websites - or even research into new technologies.

One of our Oracle Consultants is an advocate for customer experience, here are his thoughts on the subject.

Anyone who’s been in the [IT] industry long enough has seen significant change.

The Best Posts From Our Blog in 2014

We hope you have enjoyed reading the content that we’ve shared this year.

VMware certainly did shake up the IT industry when they popped up onto the scene. Whilst some may argue that VMware didn’t invent Virtualisation, no one can deny the shift they created in the marketplace.

The Flexibility of Cloud Technology

Keeping Your Organisation Vibrant: Why Build a Team With Mixed Skill Sets?

dsp’s Head of Agile, Nils Hagner talks to us about the importance of a Metrics within Agile and how this can boost value to your Agile developments…

At dsp we’re always thinking about how to help your business save money and make money, looking at the benefits and savings from technology and what it could mean for you.

Agile Delivery is a collection of methods for software development who share the same underlying principles and philosophy.

Fans of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ would probably recognise the saying “It’s happened before; it’ll happen again”. Without giving too much away, in the sci-fi series it relates to a war between man and man-made machines – and how this war eventually repeats itself over thousands of years.

How To Ensure Agile Works For You

Oracle Corporation has come a long way to become the multinational technology company that it is today.

One of the most critical stakeholders in any major IT investment, such as Oracle database upgrades, is the CFO. What does it take to convince him/her that the technology decisions you make are essential for the company's success?

A great blog from a member of dsp's account management team...

Thinking About Flexible & Sustainable IT

One Our Microsoft SQL Server consultants at dsp talks to us about one of his favourite subjects ... Databases

Skype was founded by Estonian developers Zahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu and Jaan Tallinn, Danish developer Janus Friis and Sweden’s Niklas Zennstrom. The foremost voice-over-IP service was launched in August 2003. Skype actually stands for “Sky Peer to Peer.”

Agile methodology goes some way in addressing the challenges businesses present, such as the constant need and requirement for change.

More often than not, dsp are asked about migrating Oracle Database and Application infrastructure to the Cloud. Instead of buying hardware, paying for hosting and doing all the infrastructure project and operational work, they want to farm this out to a trusted partner to manage, so they can concentrate more of their IT efforts on strategic development.

Microsoft recently announced that Windows Azure has been issued Payment Card industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) Compliance.

The term "Big Data" has become a fashionable buzzword in the last few years across a number of different industries.

Modern family life can be busy, trying to manage the comings and goings of a young family is as stressful as a full time job!

Microsoft is an American multinational computer technology corporation whose history started 4th April 1975.

Today we’re asking Tuhel Alom – our very own FD, what it takes to write a winning technology proposal to ensure your CFO becomes the champion for your technology initiative and not the show stopper.

There are lots of companies that offer a route to a Oracle E-Business Suite R12 upgrade, but have you considered how many upgrade routes there are and how many options you have within a particular upgrade path?

The Problem
Do you currently have a skilled workforce that works within a highly regulated environment?

I have been involved in numerous discussions with customers who want to improve processes and the common reason is to always automate the process and reduce manual intervention and to reduce costs ultimately. This is all great when finally implemented, but how far do you go to improve a process? Is the process you are improving for Finance and when finally implemented is great for Finance, but a head ache for the employees? This is now becoming a common problem and it is quickly becoming known as the customer user experience.

Oracle E Business Suite HCM Release 12.1 is designed to help you make better decisions and be more competitive, while lowering costs and increasing performance.

What happens as a result of rushed, incomplete, badly scoped, badly planned testing and User Acceptance Testing (UAT)? We all know the answer to that!

If you are planning to upgrade your E-Business Suite to R12, you have to understand the challenges and risks you will have to overcome to avoid any costly errors.

Thinking about upgrading to the latest release of Oracle E-Business Suite, here are some of the new features and enhancements of Oracle EBS r12.

One of our EBS consultants shows us that all customers are valued.

Here at dsp, we know how difficult it can be approaching an EBS upgrade. It is important to establish goals and objectives to make sure you get the maximum return on your investment.

Oracle E-Business Suite can be immensely complex. Customisations and processes are typically embedded so deeply it is often difficult to see how a Managed Service can integrate into a Financial/HR Applications team.

Last year we saw the release of E-Business Suite 12.2 which came with a host of new features and enhancements which can be seen in our previous blog about EBS R12.

Oracle have finally announced general availability of E-Business Suite 12.2, but what does this mean in real terms to our customers already using E-Business Suite, either on prior R12 versions or older R11 versions?

Upgrading your Oracle E-Business Suite system can be a daunting experience depending on the level of customisation.

Enterprise resource planning systems (ERP systems), such as Oracle E-Business Suite, have recently become more available and accessible. In the past few years the features have matured, removing the difficulties when selecting software, whilst becoming much easier systems to deploy and use.

Big Data is becoming a widely accepted term in the I.T. industry, but what does it actually mean, and how is it relevant to traditional ERP systems such as E-Business Suite?

With just under 2 weeks to go until the 1st August SEPA Go Live deadline, and keeping in mind the ECB SEPA Statistics for May 2014, there is no doubt that the 6 month deadline extension was absolutely essential.

As you know from December 31st, 2015, Oracle’s Severity 1 Production Support Exception for Oracle E-Business Suite 11i10 ends.

Recently one of our customers needed to upgrade their E-Business Suite environment to R12.

During a recent, short project for one of our clients, a household name in credit cards, the consultant assigned gave me some interesting pointers as to why he was there.

Virtualization. Call it the latest buzz word or technology fad but it's having a huge impact on the technology industry as a whole.

The general reasons for consolidation at any level – increase efficiency, reduction in total cost of ownership via less assets plus simplification of administration – are magnified at the level of Server Consolidation.

Database consolidation can be a very large and complicated procedure, so one of our database consultants has written a few things to always consider, when planning a successful database consolidation project.

Finally Oracle Database 12.1.0.2 is in general availability and available for download and use so we asked dsp's resident Oracle Database Master to give us his thoughts on the latest release and the top new features and improvements.

With Oracle Database 9i and 10g now both out of support, you should be thinking about an Oracle Database Upgrade to Oracle 11g or 12c?

Protecting Your Valuable Database

Everyone knows IaaS, SaaS, PaaS - but is DBaaS the next big storm? Who’s it for, and why would anyone bother?

A little while ago dsp had an inbound enquiry from a major University wanting a second opinion. They had just been audited by an Oracle Partner and were told that if they don’t buy £100k’s worth of licensing, things will get ugly.

Our Oracle Technology Practice Head has very kindly put together some key points about Oracle Database 12c.

Oracle’s database and other products pricing will start upon the General Availability (GA) launch on March 12th.

Oracle and Microsoft have entered into a new partnership that will help customers embrace cloud computing by providing greater choice and flexibility in deploying Oracle software.

Main concerns for Database administrators, especially for those working with Large and complex databases that are under heavy loads are reliability and performance.

Our MD Dev Nayak will be hosting an Oracle Enterprise Manager Roundtable so come along and have a chat with him. Here are a few words from Dev...

Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition costs around 16k. Enterprise Edition of Oracle costs up to 32k.

Creating an Oracle Database on Windows Azure is really as simple as 6 easy steps and if you are already signed up it is basically 5!

At dsp we often find that when we are with new customers for the first time we discover that they are suffering from poor database performance or application freezes and usually have concerns over their data backup and recovery.

At dsp we have found that once people have implemented their Oracle Database other than the day to day monitoring they rarely look at the health of it.

When it comes to updating your companies IT infrastructure, the consequences of getting it wrong can be incredibly serious.

Quite often here at dsp we get confused with being an Infrastructure Provider - to remind you, we are a Managed DBA and Application Provider and Technology Consultancy!!

Oracle have announced they are to release 147 security patches, including 36 for Java – their biggest security patch batch release in a long time.

One of our Microsoft SQL Server consultants gives us a handy tip for writing a SQL script for many different versions of SQL Server.

Our Microsoft Practice Head at dsp talks to us about upgrading one of our clients SQL Server 2008r2 environments to SQL Server 2012 using dsp SQL Server Modernisation & Consolidation strategy.

Recently, dsp provided a SQL server Health check to a client that was having some timeout issues with their in house SQL Server. A number of storage experts, networking and VMWare consultants had endeavoured to find the cause of the issue but to no avail.

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 will be with us very shortly and for those who like to know what they could be gaining by upgrading their SQL estate here are a few improvements and features.

An Overview of Microsoft Azure (Formerly Windows Azure)

One of dsp's Microsoft SQL Server DBAs talks to us about upgrading SQL Server 2008 ...

Database consolidation and upgrades are often overlooked because it just seems too difficult or expensive. The database layer however, is one area which can deliver significant benefits including license cost savings of upto 80%, as well as greatly reducing administration overhead.

One of our Microsoft SQL Server consultants talks to us about the future of database management systems and why we should all be thinking about cloud based technologies and virtualisation.

Here's another blog from one of our Microsoft SQL Server consultants...

Taking your data platform into the cloud is probably the next key milestone to ensure you address critical challenges and fuel new business opportunities.

Welcome to the first in a series of SQL tutorials. These will build over the coming weeks and months to provide useful tips and tricks direct from our SQL server support team.

There may come a situation where by upgrading a SQL Server Database, you would need to roll back and restore that Database to an Instance that is of a lower/previous version.

Reliability and performance are the two main concerns for database administrators, especially those working with large databases that are under continuous heavy load. Virtualization can play a big role in improving reliability for your datacenter.

Here's our second blog from one of our dsp techies...

With the release of SQL Server 2014 one of the first questions that come to mind is licensing. Rather than trying to tackle the whole subject in one go we’ve decided to highlight one of the key changes, which focuses around Enterprise Edition.

Another great blog from one of our SQL Server Consultants...

There are a number of fantastic enhancements and features available in Microsoft SQL Server 2012, one particular new feature being the Database Recovery Advisor.

Recently, a new client gave us some interesting feedback on a few Infrastructure Providers he met during his quest to rationalise his Database estate.

One of our Microsoft SQL Server Consultants talks about how shifting from Tactical to Strategic Data Tier can win over your Finance Director...

This is quite a busy period for dsp. This year, having won numerous Oracle Gold awards at the UKOUG, being one of four Microsoft Finalists for their Worldwide Data Platform Partner of the year, means the demands for our services have never been greater.

I had a recent engagement with a well-known house hold supplier. This was my first arranged from start to finish consultancy project, whereby I was the only representative from dsp on the project.

After the recent announcement from Microsoft and Oracle for support and certification of Oracle on Windows Azure, The first Preview & Full release are now ready to use in the image gallery.

One of our SQL Server DBA's talks to us about his first project as the sole dsp consultant…

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 can help you go beyond your database with its cloud ready technology.

Our Technology Practice has been busy with a number of MS SQL Modernisation Programmes.

As whole world is getting ready to get migrated from Window XP and 2003 to newer versions (https://www.windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/lifecycle), windows system administrators are keeping eye on their server as Windows Server 2003 will reach its end of life on 14th July 2015.

I was recently commissioned to complete an archiving project for one of our customers. The customer did not have a SQL Server DBA resource in house to develop the solution, and would need it automated with very little or no administrative intervention. The solution is hosted on a SQL Server 2012 Enterprise instance.

Organisations that are running SQL Server Estates could be missing out on funding handed out by our good friends at Microsoft.

A paper released by the National Institute for Standards and Technology on 17/4/2013 called the “Comprehensive Vulnerability Database” certifies that Microsoft SQL Server is no 1 in delivering the most secure software for the data platform.

Our Microsoft Practice Head - Mark Jones who leads a team of Microsoft SQL Server constultants, recently got a Windows Surface Pro. Here are his thoughts on his latest purchase.

I’ve been set on an audit project for the next two-three months which, although it is very interesting and allows me to get on with something hands on, comes with a myriad of trials and tribulations.

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 is on its way and it is looking very promising. Improvements in SQL 2014 include mission critical performance across all workloads, faster insights from any data and a platform for a hybrid cloud and many more.

HDInsight is a Hadoop-based service through Microsoft and Windows Azure, that brings a 100% Apache Hadoop solution to the cloud. HDInsight will allow you to seamlessly process all types of data through Microsoft’s Data Platform, with ease of management.

One of dsp's Microsoft SQL Server Consultants talks about private cloud implementation…

'Very thought provoking, thank you very much'. One of the many great comments received from delegates who attended our Microsoft SQL Server 2012 workshop today.

Crime prediction before it happens. City traders generating exceptional results with maths. Astronomers cataloguing the entire cosmos. All very different goals being achieved using one common source of intelligence - Big data!

The Enterprise Agreement remains the best Microsoft licensing vehicle for organisations with 250 or more personal computers.

dsp received a letter from the Corporate Vice President of the World Wide Partner Group of Microsoft, Phil Sorgen this week, he is one of the top executives globally within Microsoft.

At dsp we’re seeing a surge of enquiries and engagements involving migrations to IaaS or Public Cloud Providers.

Your DBA needs a break, but while they are away can you afford for your data not to be protected?

Last month dsp took on a young Computer Science student for work experience. Here is what she had to say about her experience with our Managed Services team...

Risks in the world of Enterprise IT are always present. As an Application and Database Services Provider, risk is one of the key reasons why we’re in business.

Here at dsp we often find that many people are unsure as to what exactly is a Managed Service so we have trawled the internet (well Wikipedia) and a few of our staff to give you some definitions of what actually is a Managed Service ...

For mid-sized organisations –perhaps between 300 and 3000 computer users, typically a Database Administrator is employed to look after an Oracle or Microsoft SQL Database.

When faced with smaller organisations where Database Administration is undertaken by an IT ‘generalist’, Infrastructure or Development team, we sometimes get asked “why do I need a DBA?”.

As Oracle Database, E-Business Suite, Microsoft SQL Server specialists and Managed Service providers there are a number of reasons why we get inbound enquiries for our services.

1. Because your DBAs need a holiday too. But not just holidays – they need to be paid a full time salary, all the time, regardless of work fluctuations – wouldn’t it be nice if you could have them on a pay as you go basis and you decide when they can have time off?

We have been thinking a lot at dsp about why should companies have Oracle support this summer.

Let's face it - Whether you are looking to upgrade your database environment or evaluate the type of database support you are getting, making a big change is difficult.

Within an IT department there are lots of areas an IT Director can choose to offload to an external provider. However an area IT Directors often miss is the DBA function, but why?

Computer bugs nobody likes, them especially not IT support, but do you know where the term ‘bug’ originates from?

An interesting area business case writers often miss, especially those in a technical or operational capacity, is Opportunity Cost.

A database administrator's (DBA) primary job is to ensure that data is available, protected from loss and corruption, and easily accessible as needed. Has the advent of the cloud database, such as Oracle Database Cloud or Microsoft Azure changed the role?

One of the challenges we have with operating a DBA Managed Service at dsp is actually perception management.

An interesting area business case writers often miss, especially those in a technical or operational capacity, is Opportunity Cost.

In today’s world business owners are constantly searching for ways to be budget conscious and reduce costs; without losing quality.

One of our Managed Services team at dsp, talks to us about the fears and objections some companies have when considering Data Platform Managed Services...

Oracle and SQL have done much development to integrate the two systems and alignment has been achieved in regard to hardware, operating systems, database files, database applications; they’re also very similar in terms of day to day management.

At dsp, our priority is to keep your business critical databases running efficiently and reliably, 24/7. When systems fail, even for a short time, the effects on business can be extremely damaging. We are here to make sure that doesn't happen.

Today ‘cloud’ is the buzz word of choice. “You can put that in the cloud” people tell me…”sign up for our cloud service” I am offered. But what exactly does that mean for the conscientious IT manager and information services director in charge of a database estate?

Here at dsp when the first set of tubes strikes hit this year only a few of us made it into the office, luckily we are a well prepared company. Using a lot of web based applications and programs so we can all work from home, a coffee shop or even outside if the weather permits.

Here is blog number 3 of 5 written by dsp Managed Services Practice Head - Marcus Cowles. In this series, Marcus will discuss the top incidents logged against database systems.

Here is the first of 5 blogs written by our Managed Services Practice Head - Marcus Cowles. In this series, Marcus will discuss the top incidents logged against database systems.

Here at dsp where we manage a lot of Oracle and Microsoft Databases on behalf of our customers. Quite often, when we on-board a new client, we find they have their own Monitoring Platform they use for overall Infrastructure Management.

Today, with the explosion of data, companies are supporting more and more databases to meet the growing demands of their business, meaning they can be supporting hundreds if not thousands of databases.

Anyone who knows Oracle E-Business Suite will know it’s comes with an overhead. From a support, implementation and operational perspective.

Here at dsp we are in the business of managing MS SQL and Oracle Databases – where we are effectively the DBA of well-known and established companies. Our client list is impressive; filled with market leading brands who have decided to share some responsibility for the upkeep of their critical systems.

Anyone who knows Oracle E-Business Suite will know it’s comes with an overhead. From a support, implementation and operational perspective.

Managed IT Services, whether on a cloud environment or not, is one of the most critical decisions for an organisation. Watch out for our upcoming research report...

We talk to one of our Managed Services New Business Development Team and ask him what his typical day is like ...

We asked one of our Managed Services DBAs to talk us through a time they have given outstanding customer service at dsp…

Here is the second of 5 blogs written by our Managed Services Practice Head - Marcus Cowles. In this series, Marcus will discuss the top incidents logged against Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server database systems.

Here is the second of 5 blogs written by our Managed Services Practice Head - Marcus Cowles. In this series, Marcus will discuss the top incidents logged against Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server database systems.

Any IT generalist worth his salt can get Microsoft SQL Server working and everything will seem fine. It's only further down the line that the problems become obtrusive to scalability and expensive to the business.

Any IT generalist worth his salt can get Microsoft SQL Server working and everything will seem fine. It's only further down the line that the problems become obtrusive to scalability and expensive to the business.

Here at dsp we often hear from IT Managers, who are constantly left in the lurch as their in-house DBA moves on after a short amount of time. Often because they get bored or get offered a “more interesting” role elsewhere.

The market is awash with choice when it comes to Managed Service Providers (MSP's). You can go to a big SI, small specialist firm or resellers or Cloud providers.

Our MD Dev Nayak will be hosting an Oracle Enterprise Manager Roundtable so come along and have a chat with him. Here are a few words from Dev...

The term ‘agile development’ has become something of a buzzword in the IT industry in the last decade. It refers to a new method of IT development distinct from the traditional approach through its lack of structure and its focus on people rather than processes.

With Oracle Database 9i and 10g now both out of support, you should be thinking about an Oracle Database Upgrade to Oracle 11g or 12c?