So, what is DMaaS, and why are companies clambering for it like the last cream tart in the pie shop? “Data Management As A Service” is a hosted data management service that replaces your need to fill your basement with a server farm. In other words, if you are tired of having to fill your offices with various types of computers and servers, you can outsource much of what you do to a Cloud-based company or a server farm outside of your company.
This is Not Strictly Cloud Computing
Though there is a little overlap, DMaaS is not like Cloud computing. For example, you may be creating cut scene videos for console games, and you are tired of using your own hardware, so you outsource the rendering work to another company.
DMaaS is more for things like when you have lots of user data that you need to store correctly, arrange, archive, etc. Instead of managing this data on your own computers, you use a DMaaS service to have somebody else do the managing for you. At a bare minimum, your DMaaS subscription can help you:
- Take in information
- Process the information
- Store the information
- Archive the information
There are also maintenance and security matters to attend to. Storing and processing your own information isn’t just about buying a server. You also need to maintain the server, keep it connected, and keep both the server safe from online threats and
More Easily Compatible With Numerous Data Sources
An unexpected benefit of DMaaS is how it is more compatible with various types of data and data sources. You may have information coming from staff, order departments, processing departments, accountancy, from the consumer app and your consumer website. As it enters your office and into your servers, it enters a bottleneck.
The bottleneck is not just due to bandwidth, traffic jams, or technical problems. There is also the processing, updating and sorting, not to mention whatever else you do to your data as it comes in through various sources.
These bottlenecks do not exist when you use DMaaS. The information hits different servers and runs through different programs in different locations, which in many cases means the workload is shared a more easily processed and integrated.
But What is DMaaS?
As an example, let’s assume you are collecting information from your app’s wish list. This information is used to create user-specific offers. In simple terms, if somebody puts “Christmas Tree” on their wish list on your app, then nearer Christmas you offer them bigger discounts on Christmas trees.
Under normal circumstances, the information leaves the app, goes into your server in your office. It is converted, stored, analyzed and then archived. It sounds simple, but you need to optimize your servers to handle all the people adding to their wish list, you need the processing power to cover all the conversions, you need to make sure the information is stored legally and safely, and it needs to be archived in a way that allows super-fast retrieval if needed.
All of these tasks can be done by a DMaaS, and they can even go a step further such as having simplified backup and recovery systems, up-to-date security, faster processing, and the information can be made available around the world in a faster and more secure manner.
Can I Live Without DMaaS?
The DMaaS is getting bigger and bigger, which means they are infecting the online zeitgeist and convincing companies they cannot live without DMaaS. Yet, the fact is that any company can live quite easily without DMaaS. It doesn’t offer a massive competitive benefit, and there are benefits to doing it all yourself too rather than using DMaaS services.
The same is true of all things. Nobody needs takeaway pizzas because even if you don’t bake your own, you can buy a premade one from a shop and heat it up. Nobody needs DMaaS in order to function, but sometimes its benefits outweigh its downsides. For some larger companies, the costs of using DMaaS are less expensive and more reliable than doing it themselves. In some cases, scaling up and adding working data-storage/processing infrastructures that work and connect correctly between each office is too difficult.
