Free SQL 2008 Support for 3 Years

On the 9th July 2019, SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will reach the end of support from Microsoft. If you’re still on those platforms, you should be thinking about what you’re going to do when support expires. Luckily, there are a few options to receive free SQL 2008 support for 3 years:

• Keep using the software and accept that it won’t receive any more security updates.
  • This leaves you unprotected and is not a recommended course of action
• Upgrade to newer software versions that are still supported
  • Update your on-prem SQL Server 2017 and Windows Server 2016 to get the necessary security, innovation, performance and efficiency. Resource intensive and expensive option.
• Pay Microsoft for a custom support contract
  • If you have Software Assurance or Subscription licenses under an Enterprise Agreement, get extended security updates for 3 years by paying 75% of the full license fee for SQL Server or Windows Server. Most expensive option
• Migrate your SQL 2008 workloads onto the Azure platform
  • Pay nothing for 3 years of support – cheapest, easiest and least risky option

The fourth choice gets you the necessary critical patches and allows you to keep data safe for >3 years. This give you the time and flexibility to prepare for a next move with SQL.

Eligible customers can use Azure Hybrid Benefit and take advantage of existing on-premises licenses for Windows Server and SQL Server to save on Azure Virtual Machines (IaaS) or Azure SQL Database Managed Instance (PaaS) charges. Azure SQL Database reserved capacity is also available and enables you to save up to 33 percent if pre-paid SQL database vCores are taken for a one or three-year term.

eBECS understands that moving to the Cloud is a challenging project for many organisations and can assist with any point in the Cloud Journey. We have a comprehensive understanding of moving on-premises workloads into Azure having moved thousands of servers for our customers. Our Cloud Migration workshop is a half-day session to investigate and define a path for moving workloads, including SQL databases, into Azure. The workshop includes:

• Comprehensive review of Azure Services
• Identity and infrastructure required to get started
• Review of existing workloads and migration paths
• Administration, Maintenance and Controls
• Security and Privacy
• Developing a Cloud Adoption Roadmap
• Planning a proof-of-concept to begin the journey

Contact cloud@ebecs.com and discuss moving SQL 2008 into the Cloud.