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Five reasons that every SQL Server DBA should evaluate Standby MultiPlatform

StandbyMP can improve your DR processes and go beyond Basic Availability Groups and Log Shipping

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Opinion Piece
SQL Server
Disaster Recovery
By Tim Marshall |
April 6, 2022 |
Link Clicked!

IT Management and Executives understand the importance of a robust DR Plan, yet often underestimate the levels of complexity and ongoing time that it takes DBAs to set up and maintain traditional Disaster Recovery solutions. SPOILER – It doesn’t have to be this way.

I typically see two scenarios. Businesses who are ignoring DR, or to be more kind, are unaware of the lack of protection that their DR processes offer. And those who believe that their DIY DR solution is good enough to get by. Unfortunately, the reality is that a database failure is binary, and there is no participation certificate for almost getting it right.

Microsoft SQL Server offers a range of free tools that, if properly implemented and carefully maintained, can offer basic protection. However, the level of protection realised will vary dramatically depending on the SQL Server license type, the implementation method, and the ongoing diligence applied to monitoring, maintaining and testing. In short, setting up effective DR can be difficult, prone to human error, and time-consuming to both create and maintain.

To help DBAs address these challenges here are five reasons why every SQL Server DBA should evaluate Dbvisit StandbyMP Disaster Recovery.


reason one3
Critical database failure is a predictable reality. Without specialist DR software it is hard and time-consuming to run regular DR tests and implement security patches, to establish your incident readiness.

As a DBA you need to be 100% confident that your DR strategy will work flawlessly during a major incident. This means having tested, verified and easy-to-follow failover processes.

StandbyMP facilitates DR best practices with fast one-click actions for common DR processes.

Easily implement frequent DR tests: Make DR testing easy. One-click read-only mode, and deep DR testing with one-click Graceful Switchovers (planned zero data-loss switchovers to the standby site).

Perform more frequent patching without downtime: In addition to enhanced protection, highly automated Graceful Switchovers enable faster and more frequent patching, removing the tedium and complexity of keeping all of your processes current.

for reasone one1


reason two2
For a DBA the pressure of a major incident is never welcome, it can be one of the more stressful times of your life.

The last thing you want to be doing is unpicking a previous DBA’s solution and scripts, or manually rebuilding a database. StandbyMP can simplify DR processes by standardising the setup and management. In addition, automated failover massively simplifies the recovery process.

Scaling up, the failover process can be performed simultaneously on as many databases as you want, and a full failover can be completed in just a few minutes.

Diagram - Standby Dual Standbyreason three
Everyone is being asked to do more with less, and none of us (DBAs included) has the time to constantly test manual recovery procedures, and scripts across many databases and instances.

Managing multiple Basic Availability Groups for many different databases, along with a smattering of log shipping Standby databases is not sustainable or scalable.

However, there is a better way, rather than working with multiple tools and individual databases, StandbyMP enables you to view and manage all your DR configurations from one central console

While having visibility of all your configurations in one console is powerful on its own, you can go further, simplifying complicated procedures with one-click actions, and form tasks simultaneously with multi-database actions.

One-Click zero dataloss Graceful Switchover

reason four
As mentioned earlier as a DBA you need to be 100% confident that your DR strategy will work, no matter the incident type! This is difficult to achieve on SQL Server Standard Edition.

StandbyMP has a low bandwidth architecture, dual-standby capability, and customisable log-gap delay. This means your organisation can achieve its RPO and RTO requirements for all disaster scenarios.        

If required, you can go further easily setting up two standby databases in different geographic locations, with one running on a time delay to deliver even greater production against ransomware and internal actor scenarios. 

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reason five
A significant barrier for a lot of organisations is the fear that overhauling critical processes such as DR will be complicated or/and expensive.

There is no need for a big architectural project. StandbyMP works with your current environment with no additional prerequisites, and is easy to install, meaning that you could have DR sorted in an hour!  

Compare this to Basic Availability Groups that require WSFC configuration on each node, setup of correct users and permissions across servers, and creation of individual AGs for each database.

reason one1
DBA’s deserve to be able to take a holiday or a day off for our birthday without being interrupted. By replacing complex bespoke processes with standardised and intuitive DR, DBAs can work collaboratively on database continuity and share the responsibility of Disaster Recovery

Find out more about how StandbyMP can improve your DR processes and go beyond Basic Availability Groups and Log Shipping in our upcoming Webinar. It covers:

  • Ease of implementation. Great DR can be implemented without adjusting or re-architecting your systems.
  • Simplify and speed up workflows. This includes multi-database actions, across multiple instances and database platforms.
  • Eliminate the complexity. Remove manual scripts and manual processes with one-click actions and guided workflows.
  • Maximize resilience. Quickly recover from any disaster with automated recovery to a warm standby database.
  • Improve your DR Plan. Consistently implement great DR of all instances and database platforms (SQL Server, Oracle SE, and soon PostgreSQL) 

JOIN THE WEBINAR: Don’t miss out Register Now: April 12th – Register Now

5 reasons-1

 

Tim Marshall
Tim Marshall

Email Tim Marshall

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