With the arrival of the new year, you might be considering how SQL Server can better fit your company’s growth in 2019. SQL Platform as a Service (PaaS) could be a viable option for managing essential database operations. With PaaS, your SQL Server workloads would run as a hosted service in the cloud with most database management functions maintained by the cloud service provider instead of your IT team.
Top Reasons to Consider PaaS
- Operates completely within the cloud. PaaS provides developers with an environment to develop and deploy applications entirely within the cloud. This includes complex enterprise applications your company may need to solve business problems and simple cloud-based applications.
- Scaling is easy. You can pay-as-you-go. Service providers allow you to take advantage of advanced development tools as you need them, giving you more value at an affordable rate.
- Your bottom line increases. You no longer need to purchase software licenses, application infrastructure, or development tools. Finally, your development team can have the opportunity to focus on managing the applications and services they create while the cloud service provider manages the rest.
- Decrease coding time. The development tools PaaS can provide include some pre-coded application components (i.e., security features, directory services, workflow, etc.) built into the platform. This lessens the amount of time developers need to code new apps.
Who is PaaS Best Suited For?
- Developers who build new apps love PaaS. If you routinely find yourself designing new applications or re-architecting, the PaaS option may be right for you. The built-in software components offer a good foundation upon which to develop or customize cloud-based applications. Beginning the process from scratch over and over can cost your company more time and money.
- You must be willing to embrace less control over database management functions. How much control do you really want? SQL PaaS gives you maximum flexibility while minimizing management responsibilities. The service provider handles everything required to support database services, so your IT team will not be responsible for patching, upgrading, or backups. If you are uncomfortable giving up this control, you may want to consider an alternative.
- Organizations that value analytics find SQL PaaS useful. SQL PaaS provides analytics tools designed to generate insights and patterns that help business leaders with forecasting, product design, and other business decisions.
Which SQL PaaS Provider Should You Consider?
When it comes to quality SQL PaaS providers, Microsoft’s Azure SQL Database stands out. Many of SQL Server’s features are supported by Azure SQL Database. The standardized hardware and software is owned, hosted, and maintained by Microsoft, so there is no need to manage virtual machines, operating systems, or SQL Server Instances.
While these are primarily consistent among PaaS providers, here are a few key points specifically about Azure SQL Database:
- Dynamic scalability works wonders. Hyperscale enables SQL Database to adapt to your workloads and optimize resources. It can scale dynamically across multiple nodes during peak workloads and scale down during periods of reduced demands. This means you can adjust performance without downtime.
- Need to migrate existing databases? If you need to migrate a large number of existing SQL Server databases from on-premises or virtual machines to SQL Database, the process is simple.
- You can develop secure apps in the cloud. You can take advantage of multifactor authentication, encrypted data, and regular monitoring with Advanced Threat Protection.
If your application development system could use more flexibility and convenience with access to more sophisticated tools at a lower cost, you may want to consider SQL PaaS. Read more about Azure SQL Database here. Dobler Consulting is a full spectrum database service with 10 years of experiencing helping companies strategize and execute workload management solutions. Dobler Consulting is a Microsoft Gold Partner and can help you plan or execute your database strategies no matter where you are in the process. For more information about how Dobler Consulting can help you manage your hybrid environment, visit www.doblerconsulting.com or call us at +1 (813) 322-3240 (US) /+1 (416) 646-0651 (Canada).
References:
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-paas/
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-features
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-paas-vs-sql-server-iaas