Running SQL Server on ageing, on-premises hardware creates a familiar set of problems: performance that can’t keep pace with the business, rising maintenance costs, and licence renewals that force an expensive decision before you’re ready to make one. Moving to Azure isn’t the only answer, but for most organisations it removes those problems entirely — and there’s more than one way to get there.
Microsoft offers three main ways to run SQL Server workloads in Azure, and picking the right one matters as much as the decision to move at all:
- SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines — a straightforward lift-and-shift of your existing SQL Server instance onto Azure infrastructure, with full control over the OS and SQL Server configuration.
- Azure SQL Managed Instance — near-full SQL Server compatibility as a managed platform service, removing most of the patching, backup, and infrastructure overhead without a major application rewrite.
- Azure SQL Database — a fully managed, single-database or elastic-pool service best suited to newer or cloud-native applications.
With Microsoft’s Australian Azure data centres in Sydney and Melbourne, we can help you extend your existing infrastructure investment or build a greenfield environment in Azure, while keeping your data within Australia where data residency matters to your business.
Why Move to Azure?
- Flexibility — scale compute and storage independently, and adjust as your workload changes rather than over-provisioning for peak demand up front.
- Cost — pay for what you use, and apply Azure Hybrid Benefit to put your existing SQL Server licences toward a lower Azure rate. (See Licensing Reviews if you’re unsure what you’re entitled to.)
- Scalability — grow compute, memory, and storage on demand, without a hardware refresh cycle.
- Speed of deployment — stand up new environments in hours rather than the weeks a hardware procurement cycle takes.
- Supportability — built-in high availability, automated backups, and patching reduce the day-to-day burden on your team.
Our Approach
- Assess — We start with a review of your current environment to understand your workload, licensing position, and what’s driving the move. (See SQL Server Database Health Checks.)
- Design — We recommend the Azure option — VM, Managed Instance, or Azure SQL Database — that fits your application, compliance, and budget requirements. (See Architectural Design.)
- Migrate — We plan and execute the migration with minimal disruption to the business. (See Migrations & Upgrades.)
- Support — Once you’re in Azure, we can continue as your ongoing SQL Server partner, tuning performance and managing the environment day to day. (See Performance Tuning and Remote SQL Server DBA Services.)