Database administrators are changing and companies must too

Data is booming and the systems beneath it are shifting

The world has gone mad for data. Every online purchase, every booking, every connected device creates it. From sales transactions to flight bookings and IoT sensors on factory floors, we rely on databases to keep the digital world running.

But not all data is created equal. The vast quantities of unstructured information now being generated, clickstream data, social sentiment, sensor logs, don’t live in traditional databases. They sit in data platforms and lakes, analysed later for insights.

What’s changing for database administrators isn’t just volume, it’s variety. The types of systems, platforms, and technologies they must manage have multiplied. Structured and unstructured data, on-premises and in the cloud, relational and non-relational. The role is expanding and so are the demands placed on those who do it.

The rise of multi-database environments

For decades, most data lived neatly in relational systems like Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, or PostgreSQL, platforms designed for structured data. That world still exists. But modern businesses also rely on semi-structured and unstructured data: logs, documents, images, IoT data, even contextual relationships between data points.

Traditional systems aren’t built for this. So, organisations are adding new database types to the mix, NoSQL for flexibility, vector databases for AI workloads, and cloud-native databases built for elasticity and scale.

According to the 2025 State of the Database Landscape Report:

• 74% of organisations now use two or more database platforms.
• 57% say their biggest challenge in managing multiple databases is skills and training, up sharply from 38% in 2023.

These shifts are driven by the growing diversity of business needs and by the migration of workloads to the cloud. Most organisations now run a blend of databases across private, public, and hybrid environments, each with its own tools, interfaces, and skill requirements.

No single DBA can be an expert in all of them. That’s where the pressure starts to build.

From routine maintenance to constant adaptation

Talk to a DBA from twenty years ago, and their daily routine might sound straightforward now: back up, tune, patch, optimise, repeat.

Talk to a DBA today, and the job description and technologies they’re working on have exploded. They might be:

• Maintaining SQL Server or Oracle on-premises
• Troubleshooting PostgreSQL or MySQL in the cloud
• Supporting a NoSQL estate
• Working with cloud-native databases in Azure or AWS
• Managing vector databases being tested for AI workloads

Each database type brings its own way of working. And with systems spread across hybrid environments, the remit of the role becomes broader every year.

The modern DBA now spends far more time on:

• Cross-platform tooling and automation
• Storage architecture
• Cloud configuration
• Security and compliance
• Collaborating with analysts and developers

The core work of “keeping the database running” still matters. It just sits alongside a broader and more complex range of responsibilities.

Skills diversification and a changing professional identity

Today’s DBAs increasingly see themselves as broader data professionals. Some are taking on more architectural responsibilities. Others are adding cloud engineering, automation, or DevOps skills to their toolkit. Some are experimenting with analytics or AI-adjacent technologies.

This isn’t because DBAs want to switch careers. It’s because modern database estates demand a wider set of skills than ever before. Vector databases, for example, underpin many AI applications because they store data based on relationships, distance, and meaning, something traditional databases can’t do.

NoSQL databases bring schema-flexibility. Cloud-native databases offer scale and resilience. All of these represent new learning curves.

As the stack diversifies, organisations can’t expect one or two DBAs to keep up with every new technology. The role is becoming deeper and broader at the same time and expertise is becoming increasingly specialised.

Businesses that don’t invest in upskilling or support will find their existing talent stretched thin and harder to retain.

The missing investment

Most DBAs are naturally curious, they want to stay current, learn new platforms, and understand emerging technologies. But learning takes time. And for many, time is the one thing in shortest supply.

Redgate’s report highlights a growing gap between the pace of technology change and the support available to the people managing it. Many DBAs report that day-to-day pressures leave little room for development. Others say training budgets or structured development simply aren’t available.

Despite this, retention in database roles remains high. Many DBAs prefer to grow and adapt within their current organisation rather than move elsewhere. That’s a huge opportunity, if employers seize it.

But if they don’t, the widening skills gap will only accelerate.

What this means for businesses

Step back, and a clear picture forms:

• The variety of database technologies is expanding quickly.
• The skills required to manage them are broadening.
• Internal teams can’t realistically cover every platform and every trend.
• Expertise in specialised databases, from NoSQL to vector, is increasingly hard to hire and retain.

Reliance on overstretched in-house DBAs introduces significant operational risk. Systems slow down. Problems compound. And the backlog for improvements grows as database estates become more complex.

Why Database-as-a-Service is rising

The Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) market is projected to rise from $31 billion in 2024 to over $150 billion by 2034.

The appeal is obvious: organisations can outsource responsibility for configuration, patching, monitoring, optimisation, and scaling to experts who specialise in database management.

DBaaS provides:

• Support across multiple, rapidly evolving database technologies
• Consistent governance, compliance, and security
• Reduced pressure on internal teams
• Faster adoption of new capabilities like vector search and cloud-native databases
• Fewer performance issues and fewer firefighting cycles

It’s not about replacing internal teams. It’s about giving them the support and expertise they need to stay effective.

The choice ahead

Businesses can keep trying to stretch their DBAs across every platform, every cloud, and every new data technology. Or they can recognise that database management has outgrown what most internal teams can sustain.

The organisations that thrive will be those that invest in the right blend of internal talent and external specialists.

A smarter way forward

At Claranet, we help organisations use their data to transform and empower their business, with the scale and know-how to augment your team and remove database headaches.

Whether you’re modernising legacy databases, adopting cloud-native platforms, experimenting with vector technologies, or managing a multi-cloud environment, we bring the expertise to keep your systems secure, high-performing, and future-ready.

Find out more how we can help you get more from your data, or contact us below.