DBA services, United KingdomDBA services for UK companies,
from senior engineers two hours ahead.
Who in the UK hires us.
- Mid-sized UK businesses running SQL Server, Oracle or PostgreSQL in production with no dedicated DBA, where the infrastructure or development team looks after the database when it can.
- IT leaders replacing a managed service provider whose database support is a ticket queue, who want a named engineer they can message directly.
- Software and SaaS companies in the UK whose product runs on PostgreSQL or SQL Server and whose developers administer it between releases.
- Estates still on SQL Server 2016 or 2017, Oracle 19c or PostgreSQL 14, where the end-of-support date is known and the upgrade is not yet planned.
- Organisations that need overnight and weekend database cover without staffing a night shift.
Database cover built around the UK working day.
Before your day starts
- Overnight alerts handled first
- Failed jobs and backup gaps cleared early
- A morning note when something needed attention
During your day
- Direct contact with the named DBA
- Incidents worked to root cause
- Changes rehearsed, with a rollback path
Late afternoon and overnight
- 24/7 on-call under one retainer
- Response commitments reported monthly
- No separate out-of-hours contract
Backups you have seen restored
- Restore tests scheduled and timed
- Point-in-time recovery proven
- Retention set with the business
Patching and vendor deadlines
- Patch position tracked per instance
- Test before production, every time
- End-of-support dates planned for, not discovered
Performance and capacity
- Wait, plan and blocking analysis
- Index, statistics and vacuum maintenance
- Growth tracked against real usage
Agreement, access, then a named DBA.
Data processing agreement first
We sign your data processing agreement and security schedule before any access exists. Your information security or data protection team is welcome to review how access and auditing work before anything starts.
Access through your own path
Access runs through your VPN, bastion host or jump server, with named accounts and multi-factor authentication. The work happens inside your environment; nothing is copied out of it.
Health check, then one GBP retainer
A senior DBA assesses the estate through that access and writes a prioritised list. Ongoing cover then runs under one fixed monthly retainer quoted in GBP, with response commitments we report against.
Where our day falls in the UK day.
| Season | UK clock | Our 08:00 to 17:00 is your | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter (GMT) | UTC+0 | 06:00 to 15:00 | The DBA is at work two hours before you and finishes mid-afternoon; on call after that |
| Summer (BST) | UTC+1 | 07:00 to 16:00 | One hour ahead of you; most of your working day is covered live |
| Overnight, any season | On call | Production incidents are worked under the retainer's response commitments |
Planned work such as upgrades, failover tests and index rebuilds is scheduled in your change windows, UK evenings and weekends included.
UK GDPR, your data, your environment.
- Named accounts and multi-factor authentication, through your VPN, bastion host or jump server
- Access scoped to the work, with sessions your team can audit
- Data processing agreement and security schedule signed before any access
- No client data copied, exported or held outside your environment
SQL Server, Oracle and PostgreSQL, under one retainer.
- SQL Server 2016: extended support ended 14 July 2026. What that means.
- SQL Server 2017: extended support ends 12 October 2027. The options, ranked.
- SQL Server 2019: extended support ends 8 January 2030. Dates and planning.
- Oracle Database 19c: Premier Support ends 31 December 2029. The real dates.
- PostgreSQL 14: final minor release 12 November 2026. Upgrade paths.
Work we can show UK buyers.
Questions UK clients ask.
Do you have DBAs based in the UK?
No. Our engineers work from Johannesburg and Stellenbosch in South Africa, in UTC+2. That is the point of the model: senior people two hours ahead of London, with 24/7 cover included rather than sold as an extra. Everything they do happens inside your environment through access you control.
Can you work within UK GDPR?
Yes. The data stays in your environment, access is through named accounts with multi-factor authentication over your own VPN or bastion host, and we sign your data processing agreement and security schedule before access exists. Your data protection officer is welcome to review the access model first.
What hours are you actually working?
Our working day is 08:00 to 17:00 South African time: 06:00 to 15:00 GMT in winter and 07:00 to 16:00 BST in summer. Production support runs 24/7 on call under the retainer, and planned work is scheduled in your change windows.
How is the retainer priced for a UK company?
As one fixed monthly figure quoted in GBP, with the scope, the platforms covered and the response commitments written down. There is no per-ticket billing and no separate out-of-hours charge. The figure depends on the estate, so it follows the health check.
Do you replace our DBA or work alongside them?
Either. Some clients hand the database tier over entirely; others keep an in-house DBA or a development team in charge and use us for senior cover, overnight response, patching windows or projects. The split is agreed upfront and written into the scope.
Our SQL Server 2016 is out of support. How urgent is that?
Extended support for SQL Server 2016 ended in July 2026, so it receives no security updates unless you buy Extended Security Updates, and SQL Server 2017 follows in October 2027. We assess the estate, rank the options and plan the upgrade or migration before it becomes an emergency. SQL Server 2016 end of support
How do we start?
Use the form on this page or email expert@radixtrie.com. A senior DBA replies directly, in your working hours, and the first conversation is about understanding your estate, not selling to it.