By Matt Yonkovit, Chief Experience Officer, Percona

Databases Finally Meet the Cloud Head On

The challenge for companies to use their data more effectively is leading to rapid changes across the industry. In 2020, developments in database strategy, cloud, open source, and security will dramatically change how some businesses manage data.

1. Autonomous databases are coming

A short supply of database implementation expertise, especially in the cloud, is leading some companies to work on database management automation strategies that include self-healing capabilities. The goal is to allow developers to spin up a database of choice to run with their applications without a lot of administrative complexity or having to request the help of - or even become - a DBA. A major theme for Oracle and Percona, autonomous databases in the cloud will become increasingly available in 2020. However, organizations will need to evaluate each offering to determine which, if any, are appropriate for their specific workloads.

2. Open source licensing changes will impact business models

In 2019, several companies changed their open source project licenses to limit the ability of cloud operators to launch their own open source project offerings "as a service." These cloud services make it easier to adopt a project and scale it up rapidly, but vendors fear it will come at the cost of the open source project itself, drying up the source of innovation (i.e. community members or developers that contribute to the project or a commercial vendor that monetizes the project through support or enterprise features). However, the move to restrict licenses and stop cloud providers can backfire because it can hurt the businesses wanting to use the cloud services more than it would hurt the cloud operators.

In 2020, the open source community will continue fighting to defend the access to source code that underpins one of the Four Freedoms that define the Free Software Movement, and we believe the evolution of open source licensing will continue to make it easier for everyone to take advantage of open source solutions. However, the fate of each open source project will depend on whether it can grow without the scale and access that the cloud provides. If so, the project will be successful. If not, the project will be in trouble.

3. Companies will focus on cloud and database flexibility

Multi-cloud is a growing trend as CIOs and CTOs seek to avoid being tied to any single provider. Many of these leaders remember the lack of agility and leverage they had when they were too dependent on companies like Microsoft or Oracle in the 1990s and 2000s. We are seeing a similar trend in the database sector. In our recent survey, 92 percent of enterprises have more than one database platform in place, and many have more than half a dozen, including a mix of relational and non-relational databases, which are spread across multiple cloud providers, on-premises servers, and partner systems. As this trend continues in 2020, we will also see a rise in companies trying to avoid the consequences of bad choices by seeking help in selecting the right database to run in the cloud and properly supporting their applications.

4. Companies will prioritize database security and best practices

For companies that employ security best practices, protecting cloud-based databases is straightforward. However, when developers are pressured to build and deploy applications too fast, security often receives little attention and best practices are ignored. So it's no surprise that in 2019, poorly managed database instances were at the root of most major security breaches. In 2020, we expect database security to be a higher priority across the industry. Specifically, vendors will begin implementing security-by-design into their set-up processes, while developers, increasingly in the spotlight for security failures, will take more responsibility for the deployment choices they make.

5. The cost of cloud deployments gets real

While the ability to automate and accelerate the deployment of cloud-based applications and their associated database will benefit companies of all sizes, the costs of scaling these applications can be difficult to predict. Companies that don't plan accurately for rising costs can quickly find themselves saddled with far larger bills at a much faster rate, creating huge problems for IT departments that must be able to deliver the support their organizations need. In 2020, we will begin getting hard data from companies facing these challenges, which will eventually help other companies better plan for the true costs of their cloud journeys. In the meantime, companies should seek advice from cloud experts and consultancies to minimize the chance that erroneous cost assumptions will undermine their cloud projects.

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About the Author

Matt Yonkovit is the Chief Experience Officer for Percona, a company that delivers enterprise-class MySQL®, MariaDB and MongoDB®, PostgreSQL and other open source database solutions and services. With more than 20 years in the open source database industry, Matt specializes in guiding customers to achieve their specific objectives. He has a passion for performance and takes pride in contributing to the vibrant open source community, as well as finding and mentoring Percona's future leaders.