SQL Server 2005 End of Support = Time for a New Model

Do you remember your first car? That feeling you had the first time you got behind the wheel? That one road trip you had with your best friends? The first (of many) car payments? And, then the headaches you had when your car started to get older until finally you knew it was time to upgrade to a newer model?

That same concept applies to technology. On April 12th, 2016, Microsoft will end support for SQL Server 2005. With the end-of-life (EOL) date quickly approaching, it’s important to know what this means for businesses still running the 2005 version of SQL Server:

1. Security and Compliance

As with most EOLs, critical security updates and patches will no longer take place, which would leave your business and data vulnerable to unwanted visitors. Additionally, if your business protects confidential or sensitive information, such as financial or medical records, without the updates you may fail to meet many industry-wide compliance regulations.

2. Cost to Your Business

Aside from the potential security risks, your business will be taking the pricier route by maintaining a legacy server. Just as parts for older cars can be harder to find and more expensive, maintenance on aging hardware costs your business more in the long run. Also, since the server is no longer supported, it will take longer to resolve any possible issues which can cost your business precious uptime.

3. Opportunity for More

By continuing to run an unsupported server, not only do the risks of breaches or unexpected costs increase, but you’re also missing out on newer technologies that could effectively power and advance your business. For example, SQL Server 2014 can run up to 13 times faster than 2005; and with the recent release of SQL Server 2016, the opportunity to benefit from higher performance, availability, and scalability increases as well. And unlike 11 years ago, you now have more options with different platform-as-a-service offerings so you can find the best solution to fit your business.

If you’re still running SQL Server 2005, the time to upgrade is now. Need assistance migrating to a new SQL Server? Contact us today for a free assessment to find the right option for your business.

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