Cloud computing offers measurable benefits and solutions to real problems, including aging hardware, barriers to innovation, data center capacity constraints, and even regulatory requirements. Moving Windows Server and SQL Server workloads, however, can be daunting. Unless, of course, you choose a cloud provider that understands those workloads and has extensive experience across multiple companies and industries, including financial services and healthcare.

Moving Windows Server and SQL Server to Azure helps you get better performance out of your investment. Azure helps you unlock possibilities to do more with your data, while bringing your legacy data to the cloud and stimulating growth. While innovation has supplanted cost savings as the primary driver of cloud migration for many businesses, moving to the cloud needs to make sense for your bottom line.

With cost savings top of mind, migrating to Windows Server & SQL Server on Azure provides you the most cost-effective, frictionless way to move to the Cloud.

Intelligent security and performance features mean consistent and predictable workload performance, and you can get the lowest cost of ownership by combining unique pricing options and extended security updates. Fully-managed infrastructure and services take the pressure of management off your teams and free you up to spend more time creating.

Azure was designed and built to natively support hybrid environments from its inception. Customers can maximize the value of their existing on-premises Windows Server and/or SQL Server license investments when migrating to Microsoft’s Cloud. Significant cost savings can be found when users extend their datacenters to Azure by using their existing Windows Server licenses. With the Azure Hybrid Benefit, you can use on-premises Windows Server licenses that are covered with active Software Assurance or Windows Server Subscriptions to run Windows Server virtual machines in Azure at a reduced compute rate.

Azure Reservations help you save money by committing to one-year or three-year plans for multiple products. Committing allows you to get a discount on the resources you use. Reservations can significantly reduce your resource costs up to 72% on pay-as-you-go prices. Reservations provide a billing discount and don’t affect the runtime state of your resources.

If you have consistent resource usage that supports reservations, buying a reservation gives you the option to reduce your costs. For example, when you continuously run instances of a service without a reservation, you’re charged at pay-as-you-go rates. When you buy a reservation, you immediately get the reservation discount. The resources are no longer charged at the pay-as-you-go rates.

Migrating to Windows Server & SQL Server on Azure offers you seamless hybrid capabilities, all while protecting you from losing valuable data with backup and site recovery. You can innovate new apps or manage existing server apps with unlimited flexibility as well as get the lowest cost of ownership by combining unique pricing options and extended security updates.

When you utilize Windows Server & SQL Server on Azure, the pressure of management will be off your teams, which frees you to spend more time creating.

Regardless of where you are in your own cloud journey – the Microsoft Gold Partners at Oakwood can assist you in planning your next step. Please leave us a message below and we can begin a conversation to understand your business goals and objectives.