It’s a perfect time to build a data practice by helping your customers modernize their data infrastructures and migrate to Microsoft Azure SQL. Your SMB customers want to better leverage their data to innovate faster and produce more, and they have an urgent need to access their data from anywhere. But to do that, they need modern tools.
Some SMBs are still using SQL Server 2008, which reached end of support in July 2019 and leaves them vulnerable to security failures, compliance concerns, and falling behind the competition. It’s a perfect opportunity for partners like you to lead the conversation about data modernization, improve their entire data infrastructure, and grow your practice while helping them transform.
But it’s not just about customers still using SQL Server 2008. Did you know that one in three on-premises databases is a SQL Server?1 Migrating to and modernizing customers’ workloads in Azure lets them reimagine their business offerings and operations, protect their data by taking advantage of more than 90 Microsoft compliance and security offerings in the public cloud, and save money by leveraging existing licenses, lower IT costs, and no hardware investment. There’s an anticipated ROI of 212% and a six-month payback period when upgrading to Azure SQL Database Managed Instance.2
Paths to the cloud
Need help finding the right upgrade path for your customers? Here’s a quick guide:
Azure SQL offers two cloud-based, flexible, scalable solutions for data workloads:
- Azure SQL Managed Instance, perfect for most migrations, offers a fully functional managed service with always up-to-date features, predictable costs, fast response times, and the reliability of multiple replicas.
- Azure SQL Database works well for new apps or legacy applications that need advanced cloud features like Hyperscale and serverless computing.
For a high level of control, moving a workload to SQL Server 2019 on an Azure virtual machine (VM) provides the latest features and Azure cost and security benefits.
For customers still on SQL Server 2008 who aren’t quite ready to modernize their legacy software, Microsoft provides up to three years of free extended support when those workloads move to an Azure virtual machine.
Finally, in the few instances where customers aren’t ready for the cloud or have regulatory concerns about upgrading, SQL Server 2019 offers the latest features, and can be used on-premises and with hybrid cloud benefits. Customers can then modernize with Azure when they’re ready.
Read more about helping customers modernize with Azure SQL, and see how a government agency used it to meet unexpected scale without adding staff.
Building a repeatable data migration practice
As you build your data migration practice, it’s critical to follow an outcomes-focused process to maximize speed, success, and efficiency. A great place to start is with the six-step Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework.
The Cloud Adoption Framework helps partners create an iterative, replicable migration and innovation practice that aligns business, people, and a technology strategy to help customers achieve their goals. Here are the key steps that the framework covers:
- Strategy. Establishing a data migration strategy means starting a conversation with customers and understanding their business strategies. What outcomes are they seeking, and how will modernizing their data infrastructure help achieve their goals?
- Plan. Creating a plan lets you determine what needs to be done, set expectations, and ensure the necessary skills and training are in place. It helps you decide which SQL migration path is the right fit and results in a solid cloud adoption plan.
- Ready. Set up the customer’s Azure instance and prepare for migration.
- Migrate. Actually move workloads, or innovate and refactor legacy workloads that aren’t yet cloud-ready.
- Govern. Analyze your customer’s risk and performance profiles and set consistent baselines for cost, security, resource consistency, and identity.
- Manage. Set up the ongoing commitments necessary to continuously optimize customers’ data workloads and ensure their health.
Working through the Cloud Adoption Framework helps you customize your workflow and better understand how to scope both projects and managed service offerings. For more, watch SQL Server in Azure and the Cloud Adoption Framework, part of our SQL on Azure on-demand webinar series.
Getting help with challenges
We are uniquely positioned to help you build a thriving cloud practice. Our Microsoft engineers are experts at helping partners like you build cloud practices that last. They can guide you to the tools you need to succeed—even for the most challenging multi-vendor or hybrid scenarios.
Other benefits for our SYNNEX partners:
- More proprietary, profitable solutions
- Marketing solutions
- Dedicated, personalized support
- Training and growth
- Simpler customer migrations
- State-of-the-art Stellr platform
Our Design Sales Engineers will help you develop pre-sales proof-of-concepts (POC) and pilots. They can assist with scoping, building, and pricing your solutions and address any technical challenges. And they’ll aid you in using our Move Validation Tool to identify any potential issues.
When you have a larger Azure SQL migration coming up, we can help you take advantage of FastTrack, a complimentary Microsoft program that offers tailored guidance for those who qualify.
See the top 10 questions partners and customers ask about migrating to Azure SQL Server, and read about an insurance aggregation platform designer that used FastTrack to drive down costs through an Azure SQL migration.
Growing your practice with data innovation
With today’s need to easily access data from anywhere, it makes sense to help customers move their SQL Server to Azure. Once their data is on Azure, not only do they have easier access, but they can also do much more with their databases, from app development to automation and artificial intelligence.
Azure SQL also offers new features that include Azure SQL Database with Hyperscale, Azure SQL Database serverless, and Azure SQL Instance pools.
See more about how SQL Server migrations lead to data and AI practice innovation and read about how some customers innovated by migrating their SQL Server databases to Azure.
We’ll help you find the best way to grow your practice and help your customers innovate and compete. Download the SQL on Azure: Building your data practice playbook and get started today. And remember, we’re here to help. Reach out to us at [email protected].
