Relational databases have existed almost 50 years since IBM’s System R was built as a research project in San Jose. The Postgres research at UC Berkeley then added object concepts to relational databases. The still-popular open-source product, PostgreSQL, is an example of how powerful and relevant object-relational database management systems (ORDBMS) are. Other examples are Oracle Database, about to celebrate its 45th anniversary, along with Informix, IBM DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server. But relational databases are not suited to handle […]
For those organizations who still have legacy deployments of Windows Server and/or SQL Server, time is running out. Microsoft has published its schedule for Extended Security Updates or “ESUs”. Products End of Extended Support/ESU Start Date ESU End Date Year 1 ESU End Date Year 2 ESU End Date Year 3 Type of Security Update SQL Server 2008/R2 (Enterprise, Standard, Datacenter, Web, Workgroup)* 7/9/2019 7/14/2020 7/13/2021 7/12/2022 Critical SQL Server 2012 7/12/2022 7/11/2023 7/9/2024 7/8/2025 Critical Windows Server 2008/R2 (Datacenter, […]
While not naming names, it is important to understand how non-Microsoft product support works. Non-Microsoft support can be reactive. That is, if all is going well, no one from the non-Microsoft support will reach out. Non-Microsoft support doesn’t include all products. For example, during our analysis, Miro identified an offering that supported only Azure, Office 365, SharePoint, Exchange, and Teams. Or, in other words, subscriptions. But what happens when the deployments on-premise or in a hybrid environment go awry? There […]
Microsoft will no longer offer direct support for medium and small businesses with Software Assurance spends below $250,000 per year Larger organizations who have a Software Assurance spend of $250,000 or more annually will be compelled to go to Unified Support. Smaller organizations will have to make do with partner support, unless they forego support altogether. “Sometime in 2023” (that’s a direct quote from Microsoft), incident-based support will be replaced with as-needed support. Microsoft will also offer credits toward Unified […]
In order to have Windows 10 and the Microsoft Pluton processor, along with update services, Microsoft may compel the licensing of Windows. This is often the last of the three (3) Enterprise components that would comprise a full Enterprise Agreement.
Now more than ever decision makers are faced with difficult choices. A number of factors may be affecting your business, including loss of revenue due to pandemic, shift to remote collaboration, pressure to move to the Cloud, and striving to stay on top of industry and technology changes. Most of these decisions would likely have software licensing implications. Here are a few examples: Move to the Cloud: When choosing between on-premise, hardware hosting provider or Cloud platform, a proper comparison […]
Microsoft Contract Support It can be difficult for organizations to manage their Microsoft contracts and achieve the best possible price, terms, and conditions for their business needs. Miro’s expert analyst team has reviewed thousands of Microsoft contracts and participated in hundreds of contract negotiations on behalf of our clients for over 20 years. We can support your contract negotiation team or manage the negotiation with Microsoft on your behalf. Miro can review an organization’s Microsoft contracts (newly proposed and current) [...]
Microsoft Software Assurance Our expert analyst team will conduct a comprehensive review of the organization's usage and need for Software Assurance to determine if keeping, dropping or migrating is the best option for business outcomes Software Assurance is not support. Support for software that has been legitimately licensed is a licensing right. You are entitled to support by virtue of purchasing the license. There is a connection between Software Assurance and support and it comes from the amount of Software [...]
