Databases are the lifeblood of every organization and the data within is seen as a new form of capital. Structured Query Language (SQL) is one of the most popular languages used for managing relational databases and organizations have been deploying SQL databases on-premise or in their own datacenters since the 1980s.
But the volume and rate at which we’re accumulating data has introduced two new challenges for businesses and their SQL databases. Managing your data can become complicated and expensive, and it’s becoming difficult to leverage data for business decisions. Can you unlock the potential of your SQL databases with SQL on Azure?
What are the Benefits of SQL on Azure?
The early days of cloud focused on convenience and remote access, but the development of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service(IaaS) offerings have created numerous new benefits that cannot be ignored by organizations.
Only Pay for the Infrastructure You Use
There are many ways in which a migration to the Azure Cloud can benefit your organization’s expenditure. Migrating your SQL database to the cloud shifts your expenses from a CapEx model to an OpEx model, which converts large upfront capital requirements into manageable pay-as-you-go expenses. This makes it possible to spin up new projects at a marginal expense.
The cost savings extend themselves to the tools and services available on the Azure Cloud. Azure Data Warehouse, Azure HDInsight, Hadoop, and Spark are just a few of the cost-effective tools that can create value from your data.
Security Features, Rapid Deployment, and High Availability
Few in-house solutions can continuously upgrade their infrastructure the way a leading cloud service provider can. New security features such as encryption at rest and in transit, user access control, isolated VM instances, and IPSec VPN connections make Azure Cloud infrastructure more secure than most run-of-the-mill on-premise systems and data centers.
The ability to provision new databases in minutes is a breath of fresh air to IT teams who are used to waiting days or weeks to provision additional resources. Azure’s high availability architecture also ensures that your processing demands are always met and that your data is accessible at the highest speeds possible.
Optimized Workflows and Low Management Overhead
SQL on Azure provides an opportunity for your organization to optimize your infrastructure and workflows. Available cloud applications like SQLCMD and SQL Server Management Studio provide a front-end that doesn’t require you to write or update code to interface with your data. This makes your data easier to maintain and more accessible to your team members.
The ease of deployment and management of cloud infrastructures allows your IT team to focus their efforts on business-critical projects instead of spending their time managing physical servers, setting up SQL Server, and apportioning databases.
Do I Need a Managed Service Provider?
The migration to SQL on Azure can be a challenge, especially as IT teams are being spread thinly on more projects than they can manage. Organizations need to weigh the costs of expanding internal resources against the costs of working with a managed service provider. In most cases, businesses will find the specialization and cost-effectiveness of a managed service provider will be tough to beat.
To learn more about the benefits and different implementations of SQL on Azure, download our white paper.
