As the end of support for SQL Server 2005 draws close, The SAM Club highlights the 2 types of support Microsoft offers during a product lifecycle: Mainstream Support and Extended Support.
Mainstream Support is typically available for 4 to 5 years after product release. In the case of SQL Server 2005, Mainstream support ended April 2011 and included:
- Paid incident support
- Security updates
- No-charge incident support
- Non-security hotfix support
- Design changes/feature requests
Warranty claims Currently Microsoft offers Extended Support which includes only a few of the Mainstream Support options. SQL 2005 Extended Support which ends on 12th April 2016 includes:
- Security updates
- Paid-per incident support
- Ongoing use of Microsoft Knowledge base
Thereafter Microsoft will offer custom support contracts but there are high priced.
Click here for further information on Microsoft Product Lifecycle dates.
How can The SAM Club help?
- Work with us to get your Server Summary spreadsheet up to date within your SAM Workbook. Within this we complete a SQL Server license reconciliation which either confirms you are compliant or identifies any additional SQL Server licenses required.
- We can provide budgetary figures for new licensing and obtain competitive licensing quotes to upgrade your SQL Servers. We will make sure you only purchase what you actually need to be compliant.
- We can help with cash flow by ensuring your orders are only placed when the licenses are required.
- We can provide cost comparisons between the server & CAL licensing model compared to the SQL 4 Core model to determine the better option for your organisation
- We can advise if you need software assurance cover for license mobility
