Migrating and modernizing your SQL Server deployments can be a complex and costly endeavor, but Microsoft’s Azure Hybrid Benefit offers a solution that can help you save significantly on your licensing costs while streamlining your hybrid environment.

Azure Hybrid Benefit is a cost-saving offering from Microsoft that allows you to apply your existing Windows Server, SQL Server, and Linux subscriptions to your cloud workloads, unlocking substantial savings. By leveraging this benefit, you can save up to 85% over the standard pay-as-you-go rates, making it a highly attractive option for organizations looking to optimize their IT investments.

One of the key advantages of Azure Hybrid Benefit is its flexibility. You can use it in Azure’s SQL platform as a service (PaaS) environment, applying your existing SQL Server licensing to Azure SQL Managed Instance or Azure SQL Database. This means you can take advantage of the scalability and management benefits of Azure’s PaaS offerings while still leveraging your on-premises investments.

Additionally, the Azure Hybrid Benefit offers a favorable exchange rate for SQL Server licenses. For every one core of SQL Server Enterprise Edition, you can get four vCPUs of Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure SQL Database general purpose and Hyperscale tiers, or four vCPUs of SQL Server Standard edition on Azure VMs. This allows you to maximize the value of your existing SQL Server investments.

The benefits of Azure Hybrid Benefit extend beyond just cost savings. It also helps you meet compliance requirements by providing unlimited virtualization on Azure Dedicated Host and the Azure VMware Solution. This is particularly important for organizations with specific regulatory or industry-based requirements.

Another notable feature of Azure Hybrid Benefit is the 180-day dual-use rights, which allow you to run your workloads on-premises and in Azure simultaneously, providing a smooth transition and added flexibility during the migration process.

If you’re running Microsoft SQL Server as a core component of your business-critical applications on VMware vSphere, Azure VMware Solution can be an ideal solution for migrating and modernizing your workloads. By configuring the Azure Hybrid Benefit within Azure VMware Solution and using placement policies, you can further optimize your SQL Server licensing requirements and reduce the number of ESXi host cores that need to be licensed.

To learn more about the specific steps to enable the Azure Hybrid Benefit for your Azure VMware Solution environment, be sure to check out the Enable SQL Azure hybrid benefit for Azure VMware Solution guide. Additionally, the Microsoft documentation provides comprehensive guidance on migrating SQL Server workloads to Azure VMware Solution, including standalone, failover cluster, and Always-On Availability Group configurations.

By leveraging Azure Hybrid Benefit, organizations can unlock significant cost savings, comply with regulatory requirements, and streamline their hybrid cloud deployments, all while modernizing their SQL Server infrastructure. Take the time to explore the benefits and see how it can positively impact your IT landscape.