Tony Salerno
Vice President, Data Management and Managed Services
Tony Salerno is the Vice President of Data Management and Managed Services at XTIVIA. Having joined the company in 1999, Tony has spent over 25 years helping shape XTIVIA’s technical excellence. As one of the first hires dedicated to the Virtual-DBA practice, he has been a cornerstone of the service’s evolution from its inception to its current status as an industry leader. Today, he leads the strategic direction and delivery of Virtual-DBA and database consulting services, while also overseeing the internal System Administration team that maintains XTIVIA’s own global infrastructure.
With nearly 40 years of IT experience, Tony’s career is rooted in the foundational era of modern computing. An IBM Certified System Administrator for Informix, he held technical positions at AT&T Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies and served as a Principal Consultant for Informix Software, Inc. before beginning his long tenure at XTIVIA.
A Rutgers University alumnus (B.S. Computer Science, 1986), Tony bridges the gap between legacy database stability and modern cloud-data strategies. Having helped architect the Virtual-DBA delivery model from its earliest days, he is uniquely positioned to help organizations transform their data management from a reactive cost center into a strategic business asset.
Connect with Tony: LinkedIn
The 2026 Database Architect’s Guide to Cloud Optimization
Managing Performance, Security, and “Bill Shock” in a Multi-Cloud World Introduction: The New Mandate for the Modern DBA In the legacy era, a DBA’s success was measured by a single metric: Uptime. If the lights were on, you were doing your job. But in... read more
Beyond the Handshake: What to Expect During Virtual-DBA Onboarding
SUMMARY: XTIVIA accelerates the Virtual-DBA onboarding process to quickly stabilize client database environments through an immediate technical kickoff and clearly defined service tiers. The onboarding process begins rapidly within 2 to 14 days to establish crucial... read more
The “Efficiency Ratio” Headache (And Why Hiring More People Isn’t the Aspirin)
SUMMARY: Credit unions can significantly improve their operational efficiency ratios and resolve critical IT staffing shortages by transitioning from expensive, in-house database administrators to a shared-service Virtual-DBA model. Relying on a single, full-time... read more
Breaking the Legacy Deadlock: A War Story from the Front Lines of Database Modernization
SUMMARY: XTIVIA modernized its 30-year-old Virtual-DBA platform by migrating from IBM Informix to a cost-effective, cloud-optimized PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB. Table of contentsSUMMARY:Why PostgreSQL is the Future of Enterprise DataThe “War Story” Perspective:... read more
The Definitive Guide to IBM Db2 12.1.3: What You Missed in November 2025 and Why It Matters for Your Data Strategy
SUMMARY: The release of IBM Db2 12.1.3 introduces foundational architectural changes that bridge mission-critical transaction processing with Generative AI through native vector capabilities, while simultaneously delivering significant cost reductions via flexible... read more