Our DBAs look after Microsoft SQL Server for teams that need more database depth than they have in-house: capacity, security, high availability, backups, performance, patching and the regular maintenance that keeps it all healthy. We work on your own servers and in the cloud, alongside your team, and we answer when something goes wrong.
What we cover
Maintenance and monitoring
SQL Server stays healthy when the routine work is done on time: index and statistics maintenance, integrity checks with DBCC CHECKDB, SQL Server Agent jobs that are watched rather than assumed, and capacity checks before a disk or a log file fills. We schedule this work, monitor it and send you a regular report on the health of each instance, with the trends in growth and load, so capacity can be planned rather than rushed.
Performance tuning
We start from where SQL Server spends its time, using wait statistics, Query Store and execution plans, and work back to the cause: a missing index, a query that needs rewriting, parameter sniffing, tempdb contention, or memory and parallelism settings that do not fit the workload. Each change is tested and reported with its effect, and Query Store lets us catch plans that get worse after an upgrade before users notice.
Backup and recovery
We set the recovery model and the full, differential and transaction log backups of each database to match how much data you can afford to lose and how quickly you need it back. Backups are verified and restored to a separate server on a schedule, and the recovery steps are written down, from a single database restored to a point in time to a whole instance rebuilt.
High availability
We design, set up and administer Always On availability groups and failover cluster instances, and older options such as log shipping where they still fit. That includes listeners, synchronous and asynchronous replicas, readable secondaries for reporting, and failover drills with the application so you know what users will see. We also check that the design matches your edition, because Standard and Enterprise allow different things.
Installs, upgrades and patching
Microsoft ships cumulative updates for each supported version of SQL Server. We test them on a non-production copy, apply them in windows you approve (one replica at a time in an availability group) and keep a record of the build each instance runs. New installs follow a documented standard, and upgrades get compatibility checks and a before-and-after comparison of performance with Query Store.
Security
We review logins, roles and permissions against what each application and person needs, remove what is left over, and set up auditing where you need a record of who did what. We check that connections and backups are encrypted, and set up Transparent Data Encryption where your edition and your requirements call for it.
On call
When an instance will not start, a database is marked suspect, a transaction log fills or blocking stops the business, you reach DBAs who already know your environment. We find the cause, fix it or guide your team through the fix, and follow up with a short write-up of what happened and how to prevent it. The hours we cover, and how to reach us outside them, are agreed in writing at the start.
How we work
Most engagements begin with a health check of each instance: configuration, security, backups (with a test restore), high availability, maintenance jobs and the most expensive queries, in a written report ranked by risk. Then you choose ongoing remote DBA cover from named DBAs, a project such as an upgrade or an availability group build, or help when you need it.
Case studies
Client names are withheld. We are happy to share details on a call.
DeliveredFixed within hours
Not disclosed
A client's in-house team had worked an unstable production database for some time without finding the cause. Our DBAs joined a secure screen-share, found the root cause and gave them a step-by-step plan to recover and to prevent a repeat.
Root cause found and fixed within hoursPrevention plan handed to the client's teamQuestions
Not always. Standard edition supports failover cluster instances and basic availability groups, which protect one database per group with two replicas and no readable secondary. Enterprise edition adds readable secondaries, more replicas and several databases per group. We recommend the design that meets your recovery needs on the edition you have, and tell you when an upgrade would be worth it.
Yes. On SQL Server in a cloud virtual machine the work is the same as on your own servers. On a managed SQL Server service the provider handles the operating system and much of the patching, but performance, security, backups and the database's design are still yours, and we look after them.
The versions Microsoft currently supports, and older ones still in production. If an instance is out of support, we help you keep it stable and secure while the upgrade is planned.
Yes, and that is how we prefer to work. You can use us for out-of-hours cover, for depth in Always On or tuning, or for the routine maintenance so your own staff can focus on projects. We agree who does what at the start and document every change we make.
Through the route your security team chooses: a VPN, a jump host or a screen-share your staff control. Each DBA uses a named account, ideally one that you manage in your own directory, with only the permissions the work needs.
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