Remote DBA Work

Part of being a DBA is being able to do the work from a remote location.  While working for one client, for example, I had to be able to access their systems in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan as well as Ontario, Canada.  The upside to this is that I didn't have to be in all of those locations; rather I could access them all via the Internet.

Another advantage is that my ability to work with those databases is not affected by adverse weather or road conditions.  I can't use the excuse that I was delayed because I was caught up in traffic.  Distance also presents no problem as I can easily access a client's database in the UK as easily as one in San Francisco from my office.

One of the main objections to having or using remote DBA's is that the employers are not able to accurately determine if the remote DBA is putting in a full day's worth of work or not if they can't actually see him/her work.  Trust issues.  These objections can easily be overcome.  One way is by communication.  A DBA's work is never really done in secret and alone.  Even in an office he's required to meet with customers and clients on a regular basis.  Changes, updates and upgrades have to be planned and implemented in concert with other people.  Once changes are implemented customers have to be able to verify that the changes work as expected.

An employer can keep in touch with a remote DBA via instant messaging, video or telephone conferencing, emails and paging of one type or another.

Reasonable standards and other milestones can also be set up in concert with the DBA to determine the efficacy of the DBA.  Both the DBA and the employer can and should keep each other up to date and informed regarding the progress of projects they are working on.  This is especially important where problems come up that may impact the delivery of a project or portion of it.

Remote DBA's are an excellent source of workers.  By being able to work remotely they save the prospective employers money and office space as well as any relocation costs.  In most medium to large-scale company the computer systems are distributed anyway so even those DBA's who work in corporate offices are, in a sense, remote DBA's in relation to the databases they support.  In addition employers are able to tap into talent that may not exist in their locations.