Meet Business Demands with Fast & Secure Migration for SQL Server 2008 to Azure

The Challenge – SQL Server 2008 EOS is Coming Soon

For a variety of good reasons, you find yourself running critical business applications on an aging version of SQL Server. In this case we’ll focus on SQL Server 2008. While you are fully aware that End of Support is looming (SQL Server 2008 EOS is Jul 9, 2019), you won’t be able to upgrade anytime soon. You could certainly choose to keep running “as is” and hope that you don’t have any issues that put your business at risk. Many a time in my career, I’ve heard the phrase “hope is not a strategy," and in this case I undoubtedly agree. Don’t put yourself or your business a risk when you have viable options available.

The Solution – Migrate SQL Server 2008 to Azure with Delphix

The “Cloud” has become an integral component of nearly every organization’s business strategy. Customers migrating from SQL Server 2008 to Microsoft Azure will receive complimentary extended SQL Server 2008 security updates for up to 3-years enabling you to continue using SQL Server 2008 until you can effectively plan and execute an upgrade to a later release. Azure also exposes you to a wide variety of complimentary services that can be instrumental in driving greater business agility, higher levels of security and peace of mind.

Now that you see you have an option, you may be wondering, “how am I going to get there?” Moving or migrating my data, validating the success of migration and ongoing operations may seem like a daunting challenge. That may even seem worse than my inability to upgrade SQL Server to this point. NOT SO!

Introducing the Delphix Data Platform. The Delphix Data Platform enables you to swiftly move, secure, and govern data – streamlining the process of migrating your SQL Server 2008 environments to Azure. Delphix connects to SQL Server 2008 databases and maintains an updated, version-controlled copy of that source. To secure any confidential information resident in that data, integrated masking allows administrators to easily identify and secure sensitive values, reducing the risk of breach and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Once the data source(s) reside on the Delphix platform, your data can be moved quickly into a new or existing Azure environment. Your data, now resident in your Azure, can be provisioned, virtually via Delphix, to the desired SQL Server version/release or SQL Server 2008. Once the virtual database (VDB) has been provisioned you can begin to test and validate both the data and your application. Once validated, you can utilize the Delphix Platform’s Virtual-to-Physical (V2P) function to create your new Production environment running in Azure.

Value – Mitigate Risk, Accelerate Azure Migration

By combining the use of the Delphix Data Platform and Microsoft Azure Cloud service capabilities, you can successfully migrate your critical applications and data running on SQL Server 2008 addressing the End of Support challenge and providing you time to plan and execute the SQL Server upgrade when it makes sense for you and your business.

The result is: confidence you are running your critical applications with continued support, increased flexibility and on-going agility through the use of the Delphix Data Platform and Microsoft Azure.

Visit our page to download a complimentary “Blueprint for Bulletproof SQL Server Migration and Upgrades" ebook.

Authors
Doug Smith is a Principal Customer Solution Advisor at Delphix and Brian Hitney is Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft.