SQL 2000: Out of Date But It's Not Too Late

If you’re still running SQL 2000 or SQL 2005 in your environment, you probably already know about the significant support costs. And, I would be willing to bet that your Security team is telling you that it’s a considerable risk that needs that must be addressed. The team that oversees applications is also probably telling you that these systems can’t be upgraded because they are 32-bit systems and won’t run on the newer 64-bit platforms. To top it off, the business tells you that the vendor won’t provide support on the new platforms or your host will charge a considerable fee to allow you to run the outdated versions of SQL on their servers.

When thinking about what you need to do, do you feel like you have only two options?

1. Buy a custom support contract from Microsoft, but this is expensive and won’t fit into your already tight budget.
2. Do nothing at all and be out of compliance.

At Interlink, we have an alternate solution...
Upgrade your SQL environment. What a concept right? Let me clarify: SQL 2008 has a 32-bit platform, which is still under extended support until January 2020. Fortunately, SQL 2008 can run DTS packages that have custom code. You now have two additional years to develop new applications that will take the place of these 32-bit applications. And the bonus: you'll be compliant with Microsoft and be able to receive security updates once again.

Sounds great, right? Well, there is more...much more! In addition to what we have already discussed, your operating system (OS) is probably running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2003 R2, which are both 32-bit systems. While Windows Server 2003 R2 came out with a 64-bit operating system, you probably aren’t using it with your SQL 2005 32-bit edition. At this point, upgrading SQL to 2008 would leave the OS in an unsupported state and should be addressed right away. This is where you will realize the actual benefit of Interlink's senior consultants. Not only can we upgrade your SQL, but we will update your OS as well.

Upgrading to SQL 2008 solves many of the issues with your old versions of SQL, and most likely, your IT staff will be much happier too. It allows you to:

• Comply with your security team's requirements
• Your applications will be on a more stable platform with Windows OS Server 2008 and SQL 2008
• You'll have better tools available for supporting your applications

Oh, did I mention that you now have time to migrate your applications to a new 64-bit platform?

Interlink consultants have SQL certifications from SQL 6.5 through SQL 2016 and more importantly, decades of real-life experience. Contact Interlink to see how we can provide you with real solutions to your SQL environment as well as your other Microsoft needs.