Unlock your free Azure replica for SQL Server with DH2i
Are you aware that you may be entitled to a free SQL Server license in the cloud for disaster recovery? Recently-announced licensing benefits enable this scenario, and a third-party offering from DH2i can help you set up this configuration to ensure business continuity for your business.
Availability benefits for SQL Server Software Assurance customers now include up to three free SQL Server license for secondary replicas, including high availability, disaster recovery, and disaster recovery in Azure, as detailed in this blog post by Amit Banerjee, SQL Server, Principal Program Manager.
Offering free Azure Replicas for disaster recovery is a great benefit for SQL Server because it enables organizations to move backups offsite for location redundancy so they can recover in the event of physical catastrophes.
The low overhead and cost-effective storage of Azure is ideal for safekeeping valuable replicas without additional expenses for physical infrastructure. However, as is the case with all cloud deployments, the success of a hybrid (on-premises to Azure) SQL Server availability group for disaster recovery hinges on how an organization connects on-premises primary replicas to secondary replicas in Azure.
So what’s the best way to create a hybrid availability group to take advantage of the free Azure replica benefit, so that it is easy to configure and implement?
Many customers would consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to get started with their Azure disaster recovery. However, VPNs are complex to set up, requiring security credentials that can be recognized on-premises and cloud and a network connection that bypasses firewalls from on-premises to cloud.
There is a better way: DH2i’s DxEnterprise ® software.
DH2i’s Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) enhanced Availability Group management software DxEnterprise® (DxE) makes deploying and managing free availability group replicas easier than ever including:
• Support for automatic failover across mixed Windows and Linux availability group clusters.
• Hybrid cloud implementations between on-premises and Azure without a VPN.
• Peak performance with simple configuration and setup.
DxE uses SDP-enhanced Microsoft SQL Server availability group clustering technology to dramatically reduce the complexity of configuring and managing highly available SQL Server availability groups on Linux. DxE makes availability groups highly available across any infrastructure. DxE provides advanced fault detection and failover automation to minimize outages for SQL Server databases, helping customers achieve nearest-to-zero total downtime. It supports Windows as well, enabling cross-platform automatic failover between Windows and Linux machines.
DxE SDP-enhanced availability groups also enable cross-network failover without opening external ports or the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), enabling simplified cross-network, cross-zone, and cross-region clusters. This also reduces the complexity and cost of running hybrid clusters between on-premises and Azure and makes it easier to take advantage of Microsoft’s SQL Server licensing rules that allow for “free” high availability and disaster recovery secondary replicas for deployments with Software Assurance.
Check out the on-demand webinar in which Connor Cox from DH2i and I share how easy it is to use DxE to take advantage of this free Azure benefit: Using SDP-Enhanced Availability Groups to Unlock Your Free Azure Replica.
