We Finished SOC 2 Type I (What this is and isn’t)
September 28, 2026
We received our official and final SOC 2 Type I report from Linford & Company, an independent CPA firm, covering our Managed SQL Server Services as of September 15, 2026 today. I’m proud of it. I’m also a little wary of how these announcements usually go, because I’ve read a lot of vendor press releases
Who Would I Use for DBA as a Service If Straight Path Wasn’t an Option?
September 22, 2026
Whenever you are shopping, you should look at a few options. I sometimes forget that step, and then regret it afterwards a bit too often. It’s really important to do that when it comes to choosing the firm who will be your Remote DBA or DBA as a Service partner. I want to do something
What Should Happen in the First 90 Days of a Remote DBA Relationship
September 15, 2026
In the first 90 days of a healthy DBA as a Service relationship, the provider should have a thorough understanding of your environment, establish reliable access and monitoring, identify and plan for your most serious risks, begin reducing recurring disasters, and settle into a working rhythm with clear priorities and communication. By Day 90 you
9 Ways Managed DBA Services can Go Wrong
September 8, 2026
We sell DBA as a Service here at Straight Path. Managed DBA services work most of the time, but sometimes it doesn’t, even for our clients. Remote DBA services can go wrong because the provider fails, because the client makes it difficult for the service model to work, or because neither side clearly defined the
Do You Need a Remote DBA Team or Just SQL Server Consulting Hours?
September 3, 2026
Not every company that needs us for SQL Server consulting needs a full Remote DBA team with our managed DBA as a Service offering. Sometimes just buying a bucket of hours makes more sense. If you already have your SQL Server operations in-hand (good monitoring, a team that responds appropriately, after hours support, and you
Hiring a Full-Time DBA vs DBA as a Service
August 31, 2026
I could build you a calculator right now that proves we are always the cheaper choice... Here is how I would do it. I would go find the highest DBA salary survey I could get my hands on, one of the ones that samples a couple dozen people in expensive metros and reports it as
How Much Does DBA as a Service Cost? What’s Included, What Uses Hours, and Why We Price It This Way
August 24, 2026
Officially – we publish our DBA as a Service pricing because we’d rather you know what this costs and how it works before we ever get on a sales call. Unofficially? I put the pricing up there because I HATE looking for a service and seeing “contact us for pricing.” I know what’s coming next,
Should You Keep the Managed DBA Service After Acquisition? Pros and Cons
August 13, 2026
Awhile back I wrote about how acquirers can maximize ROI with their SQL Server during due diligence. That post was about the deal and using some expertise to help before. This post is for some choices after the ink dries on your new acquisition. There’s a pattern we’ve lived through many times at Straight Path.
3 Times You Should NOT Hire a DBA as a Service Provider
August 11, 2026
We make money selling DBA as a Service here at Straight Path, but I’d rather not take your money if it isn’t a perfect fit. Being transparent aligns with all of our values, so why not tell folks when a client isn’t an ideal fit. There are at least three situations where, if you called
Your DBA Isn’t the Problem. Depending on One DBA Is.
August 6, 2026
Long before I was the founder of a managed services company doing SQL Server work (back when I would have laughed at you if you told me I would ever had a team), I was a DBA, and sometimes I was the lone DBA at a company… Having an amazing DBA, having reliable coverage, and