Women in Systems and Database Administration

1. Women in Systems and Database Administration Runa Purmessur-Jheelan Database Administrator Government Online Centre 17th May 2012

2. Most Influential Women in the ICT Industry IBM - Ginni Rometty, President and Chief Executive Officer CISCO - Padmasree Warrior, Senior Vice President Engineering / Chief Technology Officer. Intel - Diane M. Bryant, Vice President and General Manager of the Datacenter and Connected Systems Group

3. Exceptional DBA of 2010 Tracy Hamlin was selected as Exceptional DBA of 2010 in the largest vote in the three-year history of the awards program. Exceptional DBAs ensure everything is running at its best by monitoring the system and staying in touch with users.

4. Where we use databases ? • Banks • Airlines • Government • YouTube • Google • Facebook • Yahoo • E-Commerce Sites e.g. Amazon, Ebay • Address books • Student’s Information • Telecom Companies etc... Since most modern organization of any size use a DBMS, the need for a database administrator (DBA) is greater today than ever before.

5. Some Database vendors • Oracle Database • IBM / DB2 • Microsoft SQL Server • Sybase • Teradata and more…

6. Database Administrator (DBA) and System Administrator (SA) • SA is responsible for all parts of the computer network (hardware), such as user accounts, computer accounts, email accounts, etc. The System Administrator is specialized in the network server operating systems. • A DBA would deal specifically with all aspects of one or more databases. The Database Administrator will be highly specialized with the specific database server and client software. • The SA and DBA need to assist each other for optimizing resources on the hardware and the databases.

7. The Database Administrator JOB Also known as DBA • Administers, maintains, enhances and supports the database production and/or development environment. • Day-to-day object management of any or all of the following: • Users • Tables and Indexes • Synonyms and Procedures • Packages and Triggers • Views and Database links • Sequences and functions.

8. The DBA job description (continued ..) • Provides performance monitoring/regular monitoring of the database. • Ensures database integrity • Undertakes performance tuning, indexing, segmentation and database recovery. • Provides on-site and remote support - second and third level support. • Looks at the performance and scalability of a database.

9. Personal Attributes of a DBA

10. Are DBAs predominantly male ? IT jobs account for more men than women in the world. Being a DBA is a really good opportunity for women. I think women might be naturally more organized, and creating and managing a database involves a lot of order and organization.

11. Women in ICT • The National Center for Women and Information Technology 2010 Scorecard notes that although women earned 52% of math and science degrees, 59% of biology degrees, and 42% of mathematics degrees, they only earned 18% of all computer and information sciences degrees. (2011) • While the number of women who use computers is increasing, fewer and fewer are studying computer science at university.

12. 2010 Statistics of Mauritius • Generally men are more likely to be able to use a computer than women. • Usage of computers peaked in the age group 12 to 19 years to decrease with age. Only in this particular age group, women were more likely than men to use a computer.

13. Usage of computers by age group and sex, 2010

14. My Experience in ICT • In 1999, I graduated in Computer Science • Started my ICT career at Harel Mallac as Support Engineer for 2 years • Joined Call Services Ltd (MT Group) as Systems Engineer for almost 3 years • Systems Analyst at the Ministry of Information Technology for nearly a year • Since 2005, I joined the Government Online Centre - National Computer Board as Database Administrator.

15. The Government Online Center (GOC) • The Government Online Centre (GOC) is the centralised data centre to provide Government services to citizen, business persons, government officers and non-citizens abroad. • Operational since May 2005, the GOC is managed by the National Computer Board (NCB). • Services offered are Government web portal (www.gov.mu), internet and email to the government users, E-services for citizens and application for the government. • The GOC staff comprises of one third of women working in its technical team.

16. Challenges of System/DBA • It is indeed with pride I would say that I contribute to the smooth day to day operations of my organization. • IT people are individuals who are fairly intelligent and usually skilled professionals. The benefit of surrounding yourself with such people enhances your own technical aptitude and empowers your keen technical sense. • Database Administrators are often on-call (24/7). This position carries an enormous amount of responsibility which is challenging.

18. DBA Skills and Qualifications • Degree in Computer Science • Develop a core competency in computer science and database technology • 1-3 years of technical experience • 1-3 months of formal training

19. Certain certifications allow you to be competitive for a wider range of DBA jobs • Oracle Certified Professional program allows you to earn an initial certification as an Oracle Certified Associate. • Microsoftcertifications such as Certified Application Specialist program • MySQL certifications. • Taking advantage of training programs will help further your career both within your current organization, as well as opening up opportunities for career options

20. Major Barriers • Adjusting the family with work since ICT is always fast and dynamic. • Lack of career awareness and labour market information that profiles the "real world" applications of IT and the contribution women have made to the sector • Few visible role models for young women • A workplace culture characterized as an “old boys” club

21. Encouraging Girls/Women in ICT • Organise events for teenage girls and university students to spend the day at offices of ICT companies, government agencies or academic institutions. • • Provide cooperative, hands-on learning experiences. When classes are cross-disciplinary (e.g., relating computer science to real-world applications like health, politics, and art), more girls are likely to sign up and stay with it.

22. Encouraging Girls/Women in ICT • Hold a girls-only class. Girls are more likely to participate when boys are not present. • Introduce female role models in the technology field.

23. The Future • The number of database and system administrators is expected to grow much faster than the average for all IT occupations as they are people needed to maintain those computer hardware and networks that host the databases. . • The Internet and e-commerce will continue to expand, resulting in a continuing need to build and maintain databases. • Cloud Computing: Cloud, Mobile Apps, Public Storage Are Top IT Trends for 2012 and Beyond: Gartner.

24. Whether you are an Oracle database administrator or an in-house administrator in charge of customizing the company's databases, this is a rewarding job with plenty of challenges as well as plenty of perks.

25. Thank You