End of Support for SQL Server 2005
by Kate Smith, Director, Sales & Marketing
Early last year, Microsoft announced that SQL Server 2005 would face end-of-support on April 12, 2016. As that date is quickly approaching, I wanted to take a moment to outline what end-of-support means, why any holder-oners should make the switch, and how to plan a proper upgrade.
Even though SQL Server 2005 is a 10-year-old technology and end-of-support is scheduled, that doesn’t mean it won’t continue to run after April 12, 2016. In fact, according to Spiceworks, 82% of customers may still be running at least one instance of SQL Server 2005. However, it’s important to note that after April 12, 2016, instances of SQL Server 2005 will no longer receive hotfixes and security updates from Microsoft. Further, the cost to continue to maintain an outdated and unsupported instance of SQL Server 2005 after end-of-support will continue to rise and become more expensive than an initial migration to a modern platform such as SQL Server 2014 or Azure SQL Database.
For those considering continued use of SQL Server 2005 after end-of-support, I point to the mission critical performance metrics of Microsoft SQL Server 2014 as outlined by Microsoft’s datasheet, Upgrading from SQL Server 2005 – Experience the benefits of SQL Server 2014:
- Breakthrough in-memory performance: Proven 13x higher performance for traditional OLTP since SQL Server 2005 plus additional in-memory OLTP delivering up to 30x more performance.
- High availability: Availability and disaster recover with AlwaysOn.
- Security: Supported, compliant database platform – least vulnerable 6 years in a row.
- Scalability: Scalable across compute, networking and storage with Windows Server 2012Rs and up to 640 logical processors; virtualization and live migration.
- Support: Support includes security patching and maintenance updates, and eliminates the expense of custom support agreements.
For additional information including data insights, platform modernization, and the full list of what is new in SQL Server 2014, read Microsoft’s datasheet, Upgrading from SQL Server 2005 – Experience the benefits of SQL Server 2014.
It’s important to also consider the financial ramifications of continuing to run SQL Server 2005 instances after April 12, 2016. According to Forrester Consulting’s study on The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and 2014, “organizations participating in the study saw in significant, measurable top-line benefits of 113% ROI, which was based on specific benefits and cost savings across multiple areas and included:
- User productivity and error reductions
- IT resource productivity and support reductions
- Profit from direct and sales-led revenue
- Customer churn cost savings
- Cost reductions of improved security
- Annual software and hardware savings” (Forrester, 2014)
With a firm understanding of how important the move to a modern platform is, now is the time to make the switch. Microsoft has some very helpful tools including one that will help you choose an infrastructure for your upgraded workloads, as well as upgrade plans and free trials. As always, seek out a trusted Microsoft partner who can provide the expertise to guide you through an upgrade.
Works Cited
Forrester . (2014). Forrester Consulting study on The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and 2014.
Microsoft. (2015). Upgrading from SQL Server 2005 Datasheet. Microsoft.
About the Author
Kate Smith, SecurElement’s Director, Sales & Marketing is responsible for SecurElement’s overall sales and marketing strategy as well as ongoing partner relationships with organizations such as Microsoft, Cisco, Barracuda and many others.
