Introduction and Background
About House of Brick
In our over twenty-five-year history at House of Brick, we have worked with thousands of Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MySQL customers on all types of database initiatives related to optimization, performance, business continuity, compliance, and best practices. Our consulting expertise was not just specific to the database engine but also advising Clients how to best utilize the different platforms available for deployment (on-prem, virtual, converged/hyper-converged, and cloud) to meet organization goals for availability, performance, and budget.
House of Brick was an early pioneer in the VMware before Broadcom community for migrating Oracle and SQL Server from legacy physical platforms to ESXi, and later for coaching Clients on the process to migrate and best leverage AWS, Azure, and other clouds. Over the many years in business, our team has upgraded and patched multiple operating systems for business-critical databases including Windows Server, Linux, Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX.
SQL Server and Windows Server Migration Services
If you spend time on houseofbrick.com you will see a lot of content for the work we do with Oracle software compliance including Java, also Oracle and SQL Server database to AWS migrations, and content on how our database and platform expertise is valuable for any organization looking to make informed decisions on architecture through their digital transformation process. All exciting services work that our team welcomes opportunities to deliver.
While so much we do as a company is to help customers get their databases to the latest and greatest platforms and plan for future environments, our company still offers the much needed and required services for keeping SQL Server and Windows Server patched and upgraded to Microsoft Corporation supported versions.
Importance of Keeping SQL Server and Windows Server Up-to-Date
Reminder that Microsoft SQL Server and Windows Server customers should keep their environments current for the reasons below:
- Security: the latest updates and patches assist with cyber security protections.
- Compliance: outdated software can lead to non-compliance with legal issues & financial loss.
- New Features: updated versions have new functionality and benefits.
- Technical Support: maintain access to Microsoft Support to stay reliable and secure.
Urgency to Upgrade from SQL Server 2014 with Microsoft End-of-Life on July 9, 2024
The extended support date for SQL Server 2014 is coming up on July 9, 2024. For any customers still using the 2014 version of SQL Server, you will want to upgrade to a later supported release now. Reminder below on what it means when Microsoft moves a SQL Server or Windows Server to end of life (EOL) status.
- Mainstream Support Date: This is when Microsoft ceases new feature updates and complimentary support.
- Extended Support End Date: This is when Microsoft stops all support, including security updates and patches.
The SQL Server and Windows Server versions with mainstream and extended support dates in the table below with the highlighted date for SQL Server 2014:
| SQL Server Version | Mainstream Support End Date | Extended Support End Date | Windows Server Version | Mainstream Support End Date | Extended Support End Date | |
| 2008 | July 8, 2014 | July 9, 2019 | 2008 | Jan 13, 2015 | Jan 14, 2020 | |
| 2008 R2 | July 8, 2014 | July 9, 2012 | 2008 R2 | Jan 13, 2015 | Jan 14, 2020 | |
| 2012 | July 11, 2017 | July 12, 2022 | 2012 | Oct 9, 2018 | Oct 10, 2023 | |
| 2014 | July 9, 2019 | July 9, 2024 | 2012 R2 | Oct 9, 2018 | Oct 10, 2023 | |
| 2016 | July 13, 2021 | July 14, 2026 | 2016 | Jan 11, 2022 | Jan 12, 2027 | |
| 2017 | Oct 11, 2022 | Oct 12, 2027 | 2019 | Jan 9, 2024 | Jan 9, 2029 | |
| 2019 | Jan 7, 2025 | Jan 8, 2039 | 2022 | Oct 13, 2026 | Oct 14, 2031 |
SQL Server & Windows Server Migration Phases
The House of Brick consulting services teams can assist in all phases for a successful SQL Server and Windows Server migration project, as described below:
Assessment
This includes an evaluation of the SQL Server databases and applications to identify upgrade paths and tools that should be involved in the migration.
Selection of Optimal Versions and Platforms
House of Brick assists Clients to select the most appropriate versions and platforms (we could recommend a migration to AWS or Azure, hybrid solution, or on-prem infrastructure) while taking into consideration cost, performance, scalability, and other workload requirements.
Developing a Migration Strategy
Creating detailed plans including migration steps, timelines, milestones, roles and responsibilities from both Client team and House of Brick. This also includes risk mitigation strategies and pre-requisites such as backup and restores, user acceptance testing, and rollback plans in case of unexpected issues.
Pre-Migration Testing
Our consultants work with Client project team members to deliver testing in non-production environments. This process will identify potential issues that should be accounted for when the upgraded environments are configured optimally for consistent performance.
Migration Execution
Kicking off and executing the migration plan during customer selected timeframes with least disruption to business operations. Our team can participate and monitor the process and engage when required for root cause analysis and troubleshooting of issues.
Post-Migration Performance Validation
Deliver a comprehensive review for application and database functionality looking at data integrity, performance, and reviewing security configurations.
How to Get Started with House of Brick
How House of Brick Can Help
Please contact your House of Brick Client Services Director to schedule a web meeting discussion on how our Professional Consulting Services team can help through a SQL Server and/or Windows Server migration engagement. We will have one of our Principal Architects on the call to ask questions about your SQL Server and Windows Server environments, with a goal to produce a scope of work. Our proposed services engagement will address the gaps where expertise from our team may be needed as you modernize your SQL Server instances and Windows Servers.
Managed Services for SQL Server
If you are considering House of Brick to migrate SQL Server to a supported version and may be interested in a long-term arrangement for our team to stay engaged to keep your SQL Server instances current, House of Brick offers monthly Managed Services for SQL Server. Managed Services includes our team of SQL Server experts continually assessing SQL Server health, patching, maintaining, and troubleshooting database issues over an extended duration. This allows our customer SQL Server DBA and Windows System Administration contacts to focus on other revenue generating business activities versus allocating time to routine IT operations.
Continuously Assess Your SQL Server Risk
House of Brick also has our OpsCompass for SQL Server SaaS product that can assist with tracking your SQL Server versions and where the databases reside whether on-prem or in the cloud. It is an excellent solution to identify risk with SQL Server security and compliance issues. Many SQL Server customers are looking for efficient ways to automate management, and OpsCompass should be part of your solution. See for yourself.
Conclusion
It is important to keep SQL Server and Windows Server on Microsoft Corporation supported versions. The House of Brick team routinely delivers both SQL Server and Windows Server migrations, patches, major upgrades, and we know all the processes extremely well. Please leverage our team experience to make sure your organization isn’t caught out of compliance or unsupported.
