Booking.com Pt 1 - Running data infrastructure at an Enterprise scale

Running and scaling a robust database is a complex and time-consuming process. But, if managed properly, it sets the business up for long-term success. Therefore, as a manager, you must first ask yourself what you want from a database and whether you have the resources and people to create and own it.

In this episode of Sovereign DBaaS Decoded, we discuss the database methodology at Booking.com. Our guest is Kristian Köhntopp, the company's principal system engineer. He and our host Vinay Joosery discuss the complexity of managing and scaling database operations in the cloud, what played into their decision-making, and the importance of having the right tools, processes, and people who understand their purpose and effect. 

Kristian also shares his thoughts on cloud migration and reveals the pros and cons of using cloud database services. Finally, he explains why ‘managing’ is not the best word for the database department's responsibilities and suggests ‘automation’ in its stead. 

Guest-at-a-Glance

💡 Name: Kristian Köhntopp

💡 What he does: Kristian is the principal system engineer at Booking.com.

💡 Website: Booking.com

💡 Noteworthy: Kristian is an architect with years of experience in databases, Linux/Unix, data center planning and design, and security management systems in enterprise and startup environments. In his current role, Kristan focuses on database automation, provisioning a few thousand databases and a few hundred application hierarchies, and cloud migration.

💡 Where to find Kristian: LinkedIn

Find out more about Sovereign DBaaS at https://severalnines.com/sovereign-dbaas