Azure Arc and SQL Server: bridge the gap between cloud and on-premise

By Brecht Vuylsteke, Technology Expert at Inetum

Customers already with one leg in the cloud, but with the other still in their own data center: it's a familiar picture for Brecht Vuylsteke, who specializes in the Microsoft data platform, including Azure cloud databases, “In recent years, we've seen a lot of databases move to the public cloud. However, sometimes there are still good reasons for a company to keep a database on-premises. These include legal reasons or specific corporate governance requirements. Especially in specific sectors, such as banking, insurance or healthcare, such arguments can count heavily."

Core component

“But equally, it can be a question of capacity or performance. A database system may be so heavy and large that there is not an off-the-shelf cloud alternative immediately available that can guarantee the required performance. Because of risk considerations, an organization then prefers to leave it running locally."

"Such a database is a core component of your IT infrastructure, to which a lot can be connected. Consider your BI reporting, with all the underlying processes that in turn are also linked to it. That close interconnection is often a barrier for moving to the cloud, more so than the application itself using the data."

Added value: additional functionality

At the same time, we cannot overlook the fact that no database is an island, nor is the infrastructure of which it is an inseparable part. And certainly not at a time where data flows between different systems and platforms have become the norm without question. It is therefore important to ensure that your local SQL Server can also integrate smoothly and seamlessly into hybrid and multicloud environments.



According to Brecht Vuylsteke, this is how you quickly end up with Azure Arc. “In combination with SQL Server, Azure Arc - the name already indicates it in a way - forms the bridge between Azure and all possible non-Azure environments. That can be your own on-premises data center, but also another public cloud or an external data center.”



With Azure Arc, you create an extension of your SQL Server to the Azure environment. Specifically for SQL Server, its added value lies in the many additional capabilities it provides in terms of operational management and control, as well as security, compliance and governance. To be clear, this includes functionality that in principle is only available in the cloud, such as auditing and health checks. Thanks to Azure Arc, you can use that on-premises as well.



“Another example is Microsoft Defender for Azure SQL: an advanced cloud service for threat protection that continuously monitors your SQL Servers and detects threats. On-premise it didn't exist, but with Azure Arc you can now easily make it work."

Integrated SQL Server management

Your local SQL Server may get an extension into the public Azure cloud this way, but ultimately you still need to be able to manage both environments. You'll need different tools to do this. Because they are not necessarily compatible, in practice it usually comes down to managing both environments separately.

Here too, Azure Arc offers significant added value. The tool ensures that through a single management console - the 'single pane of glass' - you manage all your resources together: not only your Azure resources, but also your resources outside Azure. For example, Azure Arc also makes it possible to manage all your SQL instances, regardless of their location.

Easy start

We'll keep the best news for last: in fact, the complexity of such an Azure Arc implementation is not that bad. “To onboard your SQL Server in Azure, it is sufficient to install an agent,” says Brecht Vuylsteke. “That agent establishes a link between your SQL Server and the Azure cloud, so that both can exchange the necessary data.”



The only potential obstacle is the knowledge of both environments, which is usually divided between two different IT profiles: a database administrator (sometimes even a Windows admin) and an Azure administrator. “Since Inetum has both types of experts in-house, we can perfectly support you in such an Azure Arc implementation. From creating a proof-of-concept to working out a concrete roadmap: it's all in our service offering."

Still unsure if Azure Arc is for you? Or do you prefer not to limit yourself to SQL Server alone and want to get to know the other possibilities of Azure Arc? In that case, we are happy to organize an Azure Arc discovery workshop for you.

Want to know more about the added value of Azure Arc for your hybrid SQL Server environment? Contact us here.