On April 12, 2016 Microsoft will officially kill off SQL Server 2005, and while the relational database management system has had a very good run – IDC estimates 800,000 servers are still running SQL Server 2005 – enough is enough already. The world has changed drastically over the last decade and Redmond’s Database Management System (DBMS) must make way for the next generation. With explosive data growth, new data types, new demands, and new threats, business as usual is not an option.
Help, I’m Drowning in Data!
A recent Dell survey found that while 25% of respondents are running more than 500 databases each, more than 72% are running mission-critical data on SQL Server. More than 85% are using Microsoft’s DBMS in total.
Most (66%) report structured data represented at least 75% of the data under management, growing between 10% and 50% annually, while nearly 33% said that their organizations do not actively manage unstructured data at all, with less than 12% believing that the growth rate of unstructured data under management in their organization is more than 50% annually.
Other sources indicate data is growing faster, especially unstructured data. IDC reports that enterprise data has been doubling every two years since 2005, and expects that trend to continue through 2020. Another survey predicts a 4300% increase in annual data generation by 2020, and while more than 70% of the digital universe is generated by individuals, enterprises are responsible for the storage, protection and management of 80% of it.
(Big) Data Do or Die
Big data has become the new normal, says Gartner. More than 75% of companies are investing or planning to invest in big data in the next two years.
“As big data becomes the new normal, information and analytics leaders are shifting focus from hype to finding value,” said Lisa Kart, research director at Gartner. “While the perennial challenge of understanding value remains, the practical challenges of skills, governance, funding and return on investment (ROI) come to the fore.”
Big data is big business, with spending on technology and services growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.1% over the 2014-2019 forecast period with annual spending reaching $48.6 billion in 2019. “The ability to leverage big data and analytics to develop an integrated view of customer activities and business operations will provide competitive differentiation to companies across industries,” said Jessica Goepfert, Program Director for IDC’s Global Technology and Industry Research Organization.
What? Me Worry?
Yes, Alfred, be afraid; be very afraid. Protecting all that data has become a bigger problem than ever. Close to a billion records were lost in 2014. Of the more than 1,100 security breaches reported, North America accounted for 76% of them. Just over half – 51% – of organizations have had data-related incidents in the past 12 months, including 16% suffering a data breach. By 2020, the cyber security market will be worth $170.21 billion.
SQL Server is of critical importance to Microsoft. According to its FY15 Q2 results: server products and services revenue grew 9%; Windows Server licensing revenue increased by 3%; and SQL Server showed double-digit growth. So with a lot of money at stake, and its massive installed base, there will be newer versions of SQL to replace the 2005 edition. And as data becomes more critical to the digital economy, SQL Server the Sequel should continue to do blockbuster business.
