/ Thomas LaRock

Thomas LaRock

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Thomas LaRock

Thomas LaRock is a Head Geek™ at SolarWinds and a Microsoft® Certified Master, Microsoft Data Platform MVP, VMware® vExpert, and former Microsoft Certified Trainer. He has over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry as a programmer, developer, analyst, and database administrator. LaRock has spent much of his career focused on data and database administration, which led to his being chosen as a Technical Evangelist for Confio Software in 2010, where his research and experience helped to create the initial versions of the software now known as SolarWinds® Database Performance Analyzer. LaRock has served on the board of directors for the Professional Association for SQL Server® (PASS), and is an avid blogger, author, and technical reviewer for numerous books about SQL Server management. He now focuses on working with customers to help resolve problems and answer questions regarding database performance tuning and virtualization for SQL Server, Oracle®, MySQL®, SAP®, and DB2®. He’s made it his mission to give IT and data professionals longer weekends.

The Latest Posts Featuring Thomas LaRock

Why Enterprise Observability Is a Better Approach to Unified Monitoring

A love story to the cloud, and a tale of why things work better together.

Because I’m All About That (Data)base…. — SolarWinds TechPod 074
April 4, 2023
Podcast TechPod
Is your database a junk drawer? Is it more like a black hole? If you’re afraid to look in there, join TechPod hosts Ashley and Sean as they demystify Database…
What Databases Taught Me About Scaling Observability
January 10, 2023
Database
I recently attended a virtual event and heard the speaker comment, “Relational databases don’t scale.” To my ears, this is about as silly a statement as saying, “No one can…
IT Trends Report Shows Experience Equals Confidence When Managing Complex IT Environments
September 23, 2022
News
Each year, SolarWinds publishes the IT Trends report, a collection of responses to survey questions meant to gain insight into the world of IT. I enjoy the IT Trends report…
Let’s Recognize Awesome IT Pros for IT Pro Day 2022
August 18, 2022
News
As we ramp up for our seventh annual IT Pro Day, a day to honor and recognize all IT professionals as the true unsung heroes of modern business, we want…
What Does Observability Mean For You?

The late 1990s were a crazy time in the technology industry. Apple converted a blueberry into a computer, Google still had a “new search engine” smell, and while Y2K loomed over our heads Napster was showing everyone how bad Metallica’s music sounded.

Benefits of DevOps
January 19, 2022
Database
The term DevOps has taken the IT world by storm. Though every business incorporates DevOps practices differently—and even defines the term differently—doing so can offer businesses several benefits. In this article, we’ll…
The Importance of Database Backups: A Guide to Costs, Benefits, and Risks
January 11, 2022
Database
Data is the lifeblood of businesses, and protecting it is incredibly important. One of the ways DBAs help ensure the continuous availability of data is through database backups, a process involving…
SolarWinds Tech Predictions for 2022: Observability – SolarWinds TechPod 058
January 11, 2022
Podcast TechPod
It’s a new year, ripe with new trends and technology. Join our Head Geeks as they dive into their 2022 Tech Predictions, beginning with observability – a term becoming prevalent among tech pros. Listen in…
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