{"id":29934,"date":"2020-03-12T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T16:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/sql-server\/blog\/?p=29934"},"modified":"2024-01-22T22:51:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T06:51:24","slug":"when-to-use-azure-sql-virtual-machines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/sql-server\/blog\/2020\/03\/12\/when-to-use-azure-sql-virtual-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"When to use SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rearchitecting applications to run in the cloud can be a significant undertaking requiring time, money, and the appropriate skills. If you want to move existing on-premises apps to the cloud, but don\u2019t have the necessary resources to rearchitect your applications, consider SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines<\/a>\u00a0to get there quickly and easily. If you\u2019re still not sure you\u2019re ready to move to the cloud, download Future-Proof Your Data Infrastructure with Azure: A Business Case for Database Administrators<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The benefits of SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines<\/h2>\n

SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines\u00a0is optimized for lift-and-shift cloud migrations, so you don\u2019t have to rearchitect your application to move it to the cloud. You save time and money because you don\u2019t have to change the presentation, application, or data layers of your existing solution. Nor do you have to procure and manage any on-premises hardware. Instead, you can focus your time and effort on migrating your applications to Azure and making any necessary performance optimizations<\/a> in the new environment.<\/p>\n

In addition to facilitating a smooth cloud migration, SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines gives you the benefit of complete control over the SQL Server instance and underlying operating system. This option uses full versions of SQL Server, and you have full administrative rights to the SQL Server engine. This gives you a lot of flexibility to build a highly customized system. You can, for example, choose when to start maintenance, change the recovery model to simple or bulk-logged, and pause or start the service at your discretion.<\/p>\n

One thing to keep in mind is that you also have to maintain the virtual machine. While features like automated patching<\/a> and automated backups<\/a> reduce your operations overhead, you\u2019ll want to make sure you have the internal resources to manage your virtual machines.<\/p>\n

When you pay as you go, SQL Server virtual machines also simplify your licensing costs.<\/p>\n

When to use SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines<\/h2>\n

When deciding whether to use SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines, ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n