Moving SQL Server to the cloud
Check the licensing before you move, not after.
Lifting a SQL Server estate into the cloud mostly moves the cost. What you’re allowed to bring, what you still owe Microsoft and which edition each workload really needs decide the bill. We check them before you commit.
What we check
- What you own and what you’ve committed to. Licenses, Software Assurance, subscriptions and the dates you can reduce them. Moving a workload doesn’t end a commitment.
- Your rights on each cloud. License Mobility, Azure Hybrid Benefit, bring-your-own-license rules and failover rights differ by provider. The same licenses can cover more capacity on one cloud than another.
- Edition, workload by workload. SQL Server 2025 Standard supports up to 32 cores and 256 GB of memory per instance, up from 24 cores and 128 GB. Some workloads that needed Enterprise no longer do.
- Vendor application support. In many estates, most databases sit behind applications you bought. Each vendor decides which editions it supports. Most support both Standard and Enterprise; a few, such as SAP NetWeaver-based applications, require Enterprise. We confirm support for each application before we recommend a change.
- Cores and sizing. Right-sizing before the move, so you don’t license capacity you don’t use.
- High availability and disaster recovery. Free passive replica rights depend on where the primary server runs. A design that’s free on-premises can cost more after the move.
What you get
- A recommendation for each workload: move, consolidate, change edition, retire or stay.
- Licensing cost by cloud, side by side.
- The commitments that continue after the move, and when you can reduce them.
- The licensing risks to fix before cutover.
Already have a free cloud assessment?
Use it. It maps what goes where in that provider’s cloud. We add what it doesn’t cover: what you still owe Microsoft and how to bring it down. Then you can take one plan to AWS, Google and Microsoft and let them compete.
Scope
We cover Microsoft licensing. Security, data residency and regulatory requirements stay with your specialists, and we flag where a licensing choice touches them.