Prepare for SQL Server 2012’s End of Life in Seven Months

SQL Server 2012 will end mainstream extended support July 12, 2022

SQL Server 2012  R2 Extended Security Updates (ESUs) are ending July 12, 2022. Depending on  IT environment and compliance needs, SQL Server 2012 users have various options.

• Upgrading on-prem
  • Customers that need to remain on-premises for compliance can protect their workloads by upgrading to SQL Server 2019 and Windows Server 2019. Azure offers application and data modernization options on-premises with Azure Arc, which allows customers to take advantage of Azure innovation such as policy, governance, and security to manage their on-premises applications and data.

  • SQL Server 2019 will be in support until January 8, 2030, and will still get updates. And Windows Server 2019 will receive mainstream support until Jan. 9, 2024. Until Jan. 8, 2029, the product is still in Extended Support and receiving updates.
    
  • SQL Server 2019 also includes upgrades and improvements that users can take advantage of once upgrading. For more information, visit our SQL Server 2019: Intelligence Over Data blog.

  • Users who upgrade on-prem also have access to the three years of Extended Security Upgrades for a cost.
    • In the first year, it will cost three-quarters of your license costs
    • in two years the price will be at parity
    • In year three Extended Security Updates will cost 125 percent of the license cost.

• Migrating to Azure
  • Customers who migrate their applications and SQL Server databases to Azure Virtual Machines are eligible for three years of Extended Security Updates after support ends. Customers can combine this with Azure Hybrid Benefit to save big on Azure by using existing on-premises SQL Server and Windows Server licenses on the cloud with no additional cost.
  • Some benefits of migrating to azure include:
    • Cost-effective
      • Azure offers a pay-as-you-go option
      • Per-minute billing
      • Price match options
    • Easy merge with existing IT
      • Azure integrates with existing infrastructure through hybrid databases, secure connections and storage solutions. Azure also works with other Microsoft software such as SQL Server and Sharepoint to seamlessly blend with your IT.
    • Secure and reliable cloud platform
      • Azure provides enterprise-level security for your data and data center, as well as reliable backups for your applications.

• • Solvaria outlines migration tips and strategies in our How to Plan and Execute your Azure Cloud Migration blog, including:
    • Microsoft’s Virtual Machine Readiness Assessment tool
      • This tool automatically inspects your environment – virtual and physical – and provides recommendations for moving to the cloud. The report consists of three parts:
    • Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) toolkit
      • The MAP Toolkit is an agentless inventory, assessment, and reporting tool that securely assesses IT environments for various platform migrations and provides readiness information for both physical and virtualized workloads migrating to Azure.

Running SQL Server 2012 and unsure of your End of Life strategy plan? Contact one of our expert DBAs below for some guidance.

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