Meet Brian, our first Production DBA in Sydney.

What do you do at bet365?

I’m the first Production Database Administrator based in bet365’s Sydney office. I handle the performance and overall health of our databases in the production environment, ensuring fast response times for our customers. I am responsible for performance tuning, backups and making sure there’s enough disk space for future growth. I check for performance bottlenecks and correct anything that goes wrong. This could be anything from a slight website slowdown to customers being unable to place bets or even see the website so it’s important that I get on top of them before they happen!

What do you enjoy about your current role?

bet365 is an exciting technical environment, pushing SQL server to the limits and we’re using the technology in ways that not many other places have thought to. We have created customised tools to minimise human error and increase uptime as there are fewer mistakes. The business is fast-paced and there are always new things to work on. I really enjoy the people I’m working with as they seem to care a lot and I was treated very well when I came across to the UK for my on-boarding.

There are around 100 DBAs in total so there’s plenty of people to learn from and expand your skills.

I have over 25 years’ experience as a DBA but have already learnt so much and adapted to bet365’s ways of working. It’s still early days but I am getting used to the large and complicated environment.

What is the most challenging part of your role?

Definitely learning the environment, it’s so big and there’s so many different facets. The complexity is large and small changes can lead to big impacts. Finding out the way to do things the correct way has been easy though and there is always somebody available to help.

What made you choose bet365?

I’ve worked in the betting industry previously and knew people who worked for bet365. I heard very good things about the company and how it treated its staff. So this always stuck with me and when I saw the role come up I was eager to apply. Also the benefits package is strong.

Would you recommend bet365 – if so why? 

Definitely. So far it’s been a great experience, the people have made the experience very enjoyable. I’ve had plenty of help the whole time I’ve been in the company. I spent my first few months in Stoke to get up and running. It’s the people that make the difference but the technology is also interesting and fast paced. If there is a particular area you want to delve into then somebody will be doing it.

 It’s obvious there is plenty of opportunity for progression. There are many people in the team who have progressed from Junior DBAs to Production DBAs and beyond. The business promotes from within as opposed to always hiring from outside which is refreshing to see which makes you feel valued.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to join bet365? 

The people interviewing definitely know their stuff, don’t go into it half-hearted even if you have loads of experience. It’s very likely you won’t have used SQL Server like this before! I would recommend a bit of study beforehand. Most importantly, be yourself. The best part of being here is the personality of the people.

We are actively recruiting for another Production DBA to join our expanding team in Sydney. Check out our careers page to view the full job description and apply or reach out to our Recruitment Business Partner Ryan Millward to discuss further.

bet365 | Production Database Administrator (bet365careers.com)