oe > ane = ee as =| 2 Move Faster And Reduce Costs For Your Business By Upgrading SQL Server 2005 (NAPSA)—Thanksto new technology, it’s an exciting time for z businesses, and small and mid- size businesses (SMBs) mayrealize the impact of the advances at an even greater scale. That’s because many are finding that increased access to new technology can provide access to services that were never within reach before. They are also finding that using old or outdated technology can hinder a company’s ability to do businessin several ways. A Shift to Modern Technology Organizations may soon be able to move faster, reduce costs and be more productive with the help of a technological upgrade. SQL Server, a relational database management system developed by Microsoft, is one example. Right now, many companies are still using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 to store and retrieve data for applications that run on the same computeror across a network. To accommodate the shift toward modern technology, Microsoft will end support for all editions of that server on April 12, 2016. This means that security updates or upgrades will no longer be available after that date, resulting in higher maintenance costs and a less secure and stable business infrastructure for those that don’t migrate. According to Andrew Snodgrass, Research Vice President, Directions on Microsoft, “The best approach to resolving the end of life for SQL Server 2005 is to migrate the databases and services to a newer version of the product.” Benefits of Upgrading The good newsis that a variety of affordable options are available for those ready to upgrade. Migrating from SQL Server 2005 can signal the beginning of a new stage for a business, providing it with additional capabilities that are now more affordable and accessible. By moving to the latest platform, such as SQL Server 2014 on-premises or Microsoft Azure SQL Database in the cloud, you can take advantage of modern technology that wasn’t available back in 2005 to keep up with the IT needs of your business today— you can move faster, reduce costs and, ultimately, be more productive. Benefits of upgrading to the newest version of the Microsoft data platform include: Increased access to new tech- nologies lets businesses grow and be more productive. Achieve breakthrough performance: By migrating off of old technology, you’ll be able to work faster and scale more easily across computer, networking and storage capabilities. In fact, benchmarks show that upgrading your data- base from SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2014 can result in your application running 13 times faster—even before taking advantage of new features like In-Memory Online Transaction Processing (OLTP). This means that your team will be more productive. Maintain security and compliance: With data security comes legal and regulatory requirements. With the latest platforms, your security software will be continually updated, making it easy for your small business to ensure it remains compliant with unique industry requirements. *Optimize your data infrastructure: Today’s businesses generate more data than ever before. New technology, such as SQL Server 2014 or Microsoft Azure SQL Database, allows you to have a moreflexible data infrastructure that can help your business run moreefficiently. *Get insight out of your information: Advances in workloads like business intelligence offer new insights into your operations, which is key to running a successful business today. With advances in tools like SQL Server Reporting and Analysis Services, plus easy connections to data visualization tools like Power BI, you now have sophisticated data visualization technology readily available as part of Microsoft’s database software. Nowis the time to plan your transition—and Microsoft is here to help. For more information, visit www.microsoft.com/sqlserverupgrade. To find a nearby Microsoft partner to assist with your cloud transition,visit www.pinpoint.microsoft.com.
