Working as a Managed Services Administrator responsible for databases and cloud infrastructure is both challenging and rewarding. Each day presents a unique set of tasks—from ensuring database performance to managing cloud resources. Here’s a glimpse into my typical day.
Monitoring and Incident Management
My day begins with a review of database tickets raised by clients, as well as those automatically generated from Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM) alerts. These tickets help track and manage database issues across client environments. Each ticket is prioritized based on its urgency, and I ensure timely updates are provided in accordance with the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) established with the clients. I also make it a priority to resolve completed tickets promptly, aiming to maintain a clean and organized ticket queue.
In addition to ticket management, I check for anomalies in database performance, storage utilization, and cloud resource consumption. Any identified issues are addressed based on severity and potential client impact.
Maintenance and Optimization
After addressing immediate concerns, I shift my focus to routine maintenance activities. This includes applying database patches (when patch windows are scheduled), optimizing SQL queries, performing database and Data Guard health checks, and ensuring cloud infrastructure is right-sized for current workloads. I also collaborate with teammates, discussing ongoing support activities and sharing lessons learned or insights.
Learning and Documentation
I dedicate time each day to learning—whether by testing new concepts or exploring emerging technologies. Staying up to date is essential in this rapidly evolving field. Equally important is documentation: I ensure all actions taken are thoroughly recorded for future reference, accountability, and compliance.
Monthly Reports
At the beginning of each month, I collaborate with other team members to prepare monthly reports for our clients. These reports highlight database availability metrics, resource utilization trends, and performance insights—enabling clients to forecast capacity needs and plan ahead.
What Difficulties Do We Face in Managed Services?
The demands of Managed Services go far beyond system setup or periodic updates. We remain actively engaged until issues are fully resolved. This requires continuous server maintenance and 24/7 monitoring to ensure optimal database and cloud performance.
We also rotate weekly on-call (pager) duty, meaning we must be ready to respond to alerts or emergencies at any time—day or night. This level of commitment is key to maintaining the high reliability our clients expect.
Why Managed Services Matter
By providing clients with 24x7 managed services for their database and cloud infrastructure, we deliver consistent monitoring, maintenance, and expert support for their mission-critical systems. This allows them to focus on their core business operations while trusting us to ensure stability, performance, and resilience.
