Server and Database Administration
Server and database administration is the routine work servers and databases quietly need — access management, storage growth, index maintenance, replicas and version upgrades — kept current rather than deferred until something slows down.
What Deferred Administration Looks Like
- The database has never been upgraded since it was first installed, several versions behind current
- Indexes were added early on and never revisited as the data and query patterns grew
- Nobody can produce a current list of who has administrative access to which server
- A replica exists but nobody is sure whether it is actually current or connected
Access and Storage, Kept Current
User and Access Management
Accounts created and removed as people join and leave, with permissions matched to what each role actually needs.
Storage and Growth Management
Disk usage tracked and archiving or expansion planned ahead of the point where writes start failing.
Maintenance, Replicas and Upgrades
Index and Maintenance Routines
Indexes reviewed against actual query patterns, and routine maintenance tasks run on a schedule rather than skipped.
Replica Setup and Verification
Read replicas or standby copies configured and periodically confirmed to be current and usable.
Version Upgrade Planning
Database and server software kept within a supported version, upgraded in a tested, scheduled window rather than postponed indefinitely.
Bringing an Inherited System Up to Date
We start by reviewing current access lists, configuration and version status against what is actually supported, document what we find, and agree a plan for anything overdue before administration settles into a routine schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Is this different from monitoring?
Yes. Monitoring tells you something is wrong; administration is the hands-on work of keeping servers and databases current so fewer things go wrong in the first place — access reviews, index maintenance, storage planning and upgrades.
What drives the cost of ongoing administration?
How many servers and databases are in scope, how far behind current versions they are today, and how much of the routine work — access reviews, storage checks, maintenance windows — you want handled on a schedule versus only when something is already a problem.
What drives the timeline for catching up an existing system?
How far the current setup has drifted from a maintained state. A database several major versions behind, or an access list that has never been reviewed, takes longer to bring current than one that has simply lacked a dedicated owner.
Can you take over administration of a system another vendor built?
Yes. We start by reviewing current access, configuration and version status, document what we find, and agree a plan for anything that needs attention before ongoing administration settles into a routine.
Will a version upgrade risk breaking our application?
It is tested on staging first and scheduled for a window you agree, with a rollback point defined before the upgrade is applied to production, precisely to avoid that risk.
Who owns the servers and databases under this arrangement?
You do. Accounts, licences and infrastructure remain registered to your business, with our access scoped to what administration requires and revocable at any time.
What do you need from us to take this over?
Administrative access to the current servers and databases, a list of who should have access going forward, and a maintenance window your business can offer for upgrades and larger maintenance tasks.
Tell us what you need.
Send a short brief and one of our engineers will come back to you — usually the same day.
- No obligation
- We reply the same working day
- Your details stay private