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Oracle
Industry: Financial Services (Retail Banking)

Retail Banking Company selects DSP as their SQL Server Managed Service Provider

Discover how DSP supported a Retail Banking organisation with their SQL Server estate, resulting in a fully optimised environment and round-the-clock service.

SQL Server Managed Services

Contents

Customer Overview

Retail Banking Company is a specialist UK retail bank with several hundred employees and a lean, technology-focused operational model. Their infrastructure supports a mix of online banking services, financial product platforms, and internal systems. The IT function includes an in-house team complemented by third-party managed service providers to ensure high system performance and resilience.

Key Business Objectives

  • Retail Banking Company’s primary objectives included:
  • Maintaining high availability for customer-facing platforms
  • Ensuring the performance and scalability of back-end database environments
  • Reducing the burden on internal teams to manage complex database operations
  • Meeting strict compliance and audit requirements for financial services infrastructure

“DSP has become an essential part of our infrastructure operations. Their team is responsive, proactive, and always brings valuable insights to the table. Our database environment has never been more stable, and that’s critical for our customers and regulators.”


IT Infrastructure Lead | Retail Banking Company

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The Challenge

Retail Banking Company had a hybrid infrastructure comprising cloud-hosted and on-premise environments with business-critical MySQL and SQL Server databases. Before DSP’s involvement, the databases were being maintained reactively, with inconsistent patching and performance tuning routines, increasing risk during peak periods.

As a fast-moving, tech-enabled bank, Retail Banking Company needed 24/7 reliability for their MySQL and SQL Server databases that underpin customer portals and financial applications. The internal team lacked the capacity to maintain real-time database monitoring, proactive tuning, and complex issue resolution. They required an expert partner to deliver peace of mind and ensure continuous performance at scale.

The Solution

Services Implemented:
  • MySQL Managed Services
  • SQL Server Managed Services
  • 24/7 Monitoring and Incident Response
  • Database Performance Tuning & Maintenance
  • Patching & Vulnerability Management
  • Root Cause Analysis and Strategic Advisory

Customisation & Tailoring:

DSP tailored its managed services to the Retail Banking Company’s unique environment, balancing the needs of legacy banking systems with modern digital channels. Proactive monitoring thresholds were customised based on the Retail Banking Company’s usage patterns, and a tailored escalation model was developed in line with internal SLAs. 

Technology/Platforms Used:

  • MySQL 
  • SQL Server
  • DSP’s proprietary monitoring tools and automation scripts

Implementation Process:

DSP began with a full environment audit and knowledge transfer from the Retail Banking Company’s internal team. Key issues were triaged and addressed early on, with a structured handover process into BAU operations. The onboarding was phased to ensure zero disruption, with key milestones tracked collaboratively.

Integration with Existing Systems:

Managed services were designed to integrate seamlessly into the Retail Banking Company’s IT operations, including shared dashboards, alert routing, and regular review meetings. DSP operated as a true extension of the Retail Banking Company’s internal IT function.

The Result

Key Metrics & Quantifiable Results:

  • 99.98% uptime across all managed databases
  • 40% improvement in average query performance due to proactive tuning
  • 50% reduction in P1/P2 incidents related to database issues
  • Full compliance with financial services patching policies and audit readiness

Qualitative Benefits:

  • Reduced internal workload, allowing Retail Banking Company’s IT team to focus on strategic projects
  • Increased confidence in database resilience and security
  • Seamless communication and shared ownership of issues
  • Greater visibility into long-term database performance trends

Return on Investment (ROI):

Retail Banking Company has seen strong ROI through a combination of risk reduction, improved performance, and internal resource efficiency. Avoiding outages and streamlining the resolution of incidents has protected both customer trust and operational productivity.

Impact on Business Objectives:

The services directly contributed to Retail Banking Company’s goals of maintaining exceptional uptime, improving customer platform performance, and easing regulatory pressure. The partnership has become a critical pillar in their technology ecosystem.

 

The Partnership

Our Team's Expertise & Approach

DSP brought deep expertise in both MySQL and SQL Server environments, with a team capable of addressing the unique needs of financial institutions. The approach was highly collaborative, transparent, and focused on long-term improvement, not just reactive fixes.

Communication & Collaboration

Retail Banking Company rated DSP’s collaboration as 9.5/10, highlighting responsiveness, proactive engagement, and shared accountability. Regular meetings, clear reporting, and expert availability have created a strong and trusted relationship.

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