A hosted database is a database that’s stored on servers owned and managed by third-party companies. This includes the database, monitoring, availability and secure access.

Such third-party services also provide customization with the client where they can choose the type of database technology used.

The different types of databases are divided into two main categories- relational databases and non-relational databases, or NoSQL.

Relational databases are one of the most popular categories of databases. They’ve been present in the scene for a long time, which means that there’s availability of various hosting options both hosted in the cloud and in data centers.

NoSQL databases are any type of database that does not make use of the usual rows and columns of a relational database. There are various types of NoSQL databases too, so it’s recommended that you consider what type of database best suits your application needs. They’re usually designed with the cloud in mind so this makes them a great option for database hosting.

• Security- Database hosting companies ensure your data’s protection. They actively monitor all traffic to your database servers to watch out for any suspicious activity. For instance, an increase in the number of users on your server could be considered suspicious activity, and the hosting provider will then have in-place protocol developed in conjunction with your organization so that the issue can be properly resolved.
• Customized solutions- If you are to purchase hardware to specifically fit your unique needs, the costs can be quite a lot, and it may become hard to keep up with the expenses as your business grows or your needs change. But, with a database hosting company, they can easily fulfill your hardware needs at a much lesser cost.
• Availability- Usually, database hosting companies incorporate clustered physical servers or a cloud-based environment. This is to duplicate internal connections and all servers for redundancy.
• Load balancing- When there’s higher traffic on your website, load balancers are beneficial as they distribute your traffic so that your infrastructure continues to run in an optimal condition.

Though most hosting companies can run a web server, databases require a unique combination of technical knowledge and physical components to implement. The database host must also configure the hosting environment to ensure that the data is quickly and easily accessible, boost growth, and ensure the database is secure enough to withstand any attacks.

Certain databases that are subject to particular compliance standards (for instance, PCI ready standards or HIPAA compliant database standards) need specific RAID (redundant array of independent disk) levels to store data.

MySQL is one of the oldest database management systems that is still used commonly. As an open-source software created by Oracle, it’s free to use as well as customizable to suit your specific needs, as its code is publicly available. MySQL is well-known as it can run on any platform, whether it’s Windows, UNIX, Linux, etc. It has tools for database management, data querying and data optimization. Paid versions of MySQL are available for commercial use too. Even though it’s a very flexible database, MySQL is not very good for scalability purposes, so it’s not a highly recommended choice for companies that are looking forward to rapid growth.

On the other hand, similar to MySQL in its database management applications, MSSQL is Microsoft’s initiation in the database management software industry. As it is affiliated with Microsoft, any company that hosts MSSQL databases needs to own the latest version of Internet Information Services (IIS) along with expertise in technical support as well as specific Windows servers.