As the connected technology ecosystem continues to grow, the amount of data created will also go through the roof. Research from IBM shows that we create around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data on a daily basis. This information comes from everywhere, including sensors, telecom signals, social media posts, multimedia and online transactions. 

In a business context, data is an incredibly powerful tool. With it, companies can gain a better understanding of their customers and operations. Firms can use this insight as a way to boost sales and productivity. However, it’s crucial to have the right infrastructure in place to manage growing datasets. 

The easiest way to visualize and organize this information is by investing in a good database solution. Having emerged in the 1960s, this type of software usually consists of schemas, tables, queries, reports and views that capture and analyze complex datasets. They typically use computing standards and languages such as SQL, ODBC and JDBC. 

These applications offer a variety of functionalities. Not only do they allow users to create and define large datasets, but also to modify and delete them easily.  Other benefits include the ability to enforce data security, monitor performance, minimize inefficiencies, enable quick decision-making and recover information in the event of a system failure. Here are the best database management systems on the market. 

1. TeamDesk

If you’re looking for a powerful database solution that’s also easy to use, then it’s worth checking out Team Desk. It provides you with the tools to create custom databases quickly without any prior technical knowledge. 

What’s great about TeamDesk is that it runs on the cloud through its own secure servers, so you don’t need to invest in your own hardware. According to the company, it’s achieved a 99.96% uptime record over the past six years, making it a reliable choice.   

The software runs on PC, Mac, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone. To set up a database, you can either choose from a library of predefined templates or build your own from scratch. Once you’ve done that, you’re able to remove and add functionalities as your business grows.   

In terms of pricing, there are several plans available. The starter package costs $49 (£36) per month, letting you add up to five users with an unlimited amount of tables, records, storage space and customer support. However, there’s a team edition available for $99 per month (£74) and an enterprise edition for $249 per month (£187) as well. At any rate, you can sign up for a 14-day free trial to test the waters.   

2. Knack

Targeted at organizations of all sizes, Knack is probably one of the most diverse and easy-to-use database management solutions out there. The cloud-based platform is used by thousands of businesses across the world, including Fortune 500 companies, startups, educational institutions and charities. 

It offers a range of tools that aim to transform the way you organize business data. You can structure it based on metrics such as names and emails, link records together, and gain a better insight into your data by using a range of formulas and equations. What’s more, the interface is easy-to-use and requires no coding knowledge.   

To get real-time data insights, you can set up dashboards kitted out with charts, graphs and pivot tables. You can also conduct searches across datasets and make use of flexible filters. And just like TeamDesk, there’s a variety of pre-built templates available, meaning you can set up advanced databases quickly. 

The software comes with some neat e-commerce abilities, too. You’re able to process payments, donations and online orders through integration with payment providers such as PayPal and Stripe. Currently, prices start at $39 (£29) per month, although there’s a 14-day free trial available.   

3. TablePlus

Looking for an on-premise database management platform? Then look no further than TablePlus. Available for the Mac, it lets you create and manage a plethora of relational databases from one user interface, including the likes of MySQL, SQLite, Redis, Amazon Redshift and Postgres.

It lets you create, query, edit and save databases easily from a native app that’s fast and easy-to-use. However, one of the defining features of this software is that it comes with native TLS encryption to ensure that important business data never gets into the wrong hands. 

As for other features, there are multi-tab and multi-window modes so you can get a quick overview of various datasets. And you can track changes you’ve made to your databases through a function called Code Review. You can also split databases into tabs and highlight different datasets to increase productivity.  

This software is used by major companies and organizations such as Spotify, Apple, Intel, FastMail, Stanford University, Shutterstock, and Rocket Internet. You can purchase TablePlus for $49 (£36). If you end up buying the solution but decide it isn’t for you, there’s a 7-day money-back policy.   

4. Oracle Database Cloud Service

Oracle provides some of the most popular and advanced enterprise technology solutions on the market, and it also has some world-class database products. A great example is its Database Cloud Service, which has been designed to support workloads of all sizes.

It’s a multilayered database product that comes with encryption solutions running out of the box, and has been designed especially for application development, test and production deployment. The software sports an easy-to-use web console where users can quickly create and manage databases.  

Users get access to a range of provisioning choices and pre-packaged bundles, including options for DevOps, performance, security, analytics and monitoring. Data can be managed through tools such as SSH, SQL Developer, Data Pump and SQL Plus. You’ll need to get in touch with Oracle for a quote on pricing, but can demo the software to make an informed decision.   

5. Microsoft Access

First released in 1992, Microsoft Access is one of the oldest commercial database solutions out there. It’s an easy-to-use tool that lets you create databases for your business. Because it runs on the cloud, you can easily share databases with your colleagues, and there’s built-in encryption to ensure your data is always protected.  

If you’re adept with technology, you can create your own custom databases to suit the needs of your organization. However, there’s also the option to choose from a collection of professionally-designed database templates. 

The app can be integrated with SQL Server and Azure SQL, making it easier to scale large datasets. Access is available as part of the Office 365 package, which starts at £59 ($78) per year. Whatever the case, you can try out the software for free before committing to a premium plan.   

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Sometimes, vulnerabilities can hang around for years and years without being discovered, and a remote code execution flaw found in Steam has reportedly been a gaping hole in the side of Valve’s gaming service for no less than a decade – although it has now been patched.

As Motherboard reports, Tom Court, a security expert at Context, believes that the exploit had been present in Steam for at least 10 years, and every user of the service could potentially have had this leveraged against them during that period.

However, as we mentioned, the good news is that the exploit has already been patched by Valve, and in fact this particular vulnerability was fixed back in March.

How serious was the problem? Court describes the bug as ‘simple’ and ‘straightforward to exploit’, worryingly, and the vulnerability could potentially have allowed a malicious party to execute code on the target PC running Steam, subsequently letting them take control of the machine.

So, yeah. It was pretty serious, then.

Speedy response

On the positive side for Valve, this vulnerability was made harder to exploit last July when the firm implemented a new security measure: ASLR (address space layout randomization).

But it was still a potential hole until Court reported the problem to Valve, with the company also being quick to respond – he praised the firm for the fact that within eight hours of receiving his email, it had applied a fixed to the beta version of the Steam client.

Court concludes that the code in which the vulnerability resided was likely very old, and the developers probably hadn’t been anywhere near it in a long time as a result.

The lesson? Software developers should take the time to review old chunks of code in the light of contemporary security standards, probing for issues such as this which may have been hanging around for ages.

Generally speaking, there are probably a host of these sort of flaws scattered about the world of PC software, when you consider the sheer amount of apps and services out there. The worry is that if developers or a friendly white hat security researcher don’t find them first, they could be actively exploited against an entire user base.

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Microsoft is continuing to purge Groove Music from its system, and today announced that it’s killing off the service’s apps on Android and iOS.

The apps are no longer available to download, though if you already have one installed you’ll be able to keep using it to play tunes stored on OneDrive until December 1, when the apps disappear to the great SD card in the sky.

Your music will remain in your OneDrive account, but you’ll need a different player to enjoy them. In a display of camaraderie with its fellow tech giants, Microsoft recommends using Google Play Music or iTunes Match as alternatives.

It also suggests switching to the Groove Music app for PC, Xbox and Windows Phone, although the latter isn’t a viable long-term solution due to the protracted demise of the mobile OS.

Groove’s swan song

Groove Music’s fate was sealed in December 2017, when Microsoft opted to bow out of the streaming game and get cosy with Spotify instead. Groove Music lost the ability to stream, purchase and download music, but the mobile and desktop apps were still available and functioned as simple media players.

Groove Music was also built into Cortana, where it provided a Shazam-style music identifying service. It was a very handy tool, but after Microsoft pulled the plug, the virtual assistant began producing nonsensical placeholder error messages before losing its song ID chops completely.

Despite Microsoft’s optimistic suggestion that you try one of Groove Music’s other incarnations, we suspect these will probably be terminated soon too in favor of an even more harmonious duet with Spotify – possibly before the end of the year.

Via The Verge

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