MS’ SQL Server 2012 to empower Asian enterprises go further, forward and faster

Microsoft yesterday unveiled the next version of its industry leading cloud-ready information platform, SQL Server 2012 in an unprecedented global Virtual Launch Event www.sqlserverlaunch.com.

SQL Server 2012 helps address the challenges of increasing data volumes by rapidly turning data into actionable business insights expanding on Microsoft’s commitment to help customers manage any data, regardless of size, both on-premises and in the cloud.

SQL Server 2012 has already been deployed for production use by hundreds of global, industry-leading customers, such as Volvo Car Corp., Revlon, the HSN, Sanofi Pasteur, Klout and LG Chemical. Customers choosing SQL Server 2012 enjoy the benefit of a rich hardware and software partner ecosystem that can create solutions for the most unique and demanding data management needs.

Labeled as a “Potential Game Changer” by research firm IDC in a white paper released in January this year , SQL Server 2012 will help customers unlock breakthrough insights across the organization and approach cloud opportunities, whether private or public, on their own terms supported by advanced capabilities for mission critical confidence.

“Working with large databases that grow exponentially where data management tools of today are not adequate to manage them, is a real and pressing threat to our customers that want to make sense of the surmounting data explosion and how they can use that data to drive business growth. SQL Server 2012 will extend organizations beyond the database with a cloud-ready information platform that meets industry-required high availability and performance capabilities at a leading Total Cost of Ownership,” said Anton Canisious, Solution Specialist - Business Productivity at Microsoft Sri Lanka.

According to Gartner, information volume is growing worldwide at a minimum annual rate of 59% with roughly 85% of the data now being “unstructured” and not readily suited for traditional data management systems. Organisations are being stretched to their limits trying to navigate, understand and manage virtually infinite seas of information. Meanwhile, data security threats increase and regulated compliance are becoming more stringent.

“We made the decision to adopt Microsoft SQL as the database platform for SAP back in 1998 with SQL Server 6.5. Over the years we have seen Microsoft investing in the database technology to make it an enterprise class platform. SQL Server 2005 was a major breakthrough and we moved with the new versions along with SAP upgrades.  SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 had significant improvements for mission critical applications. Our SAP systems run over 1.4 TB of data on SQL Server technology. With SQL Server 2012, we will be able to take advantage of powerful integrated management tools to reduce planned and unplanned down time and maintain high availability. Furthermore, end users will be able to quickly unlock breakthrough insights within billions of rows of data with PowerPivot built on Excel and Power View for stunning, interactive data visualisations and broad adoption,” commented Ransith Fernando, Head of Business Applications, MAS Holdings Limited, leading apparel manufacturer who has been relying on the capabilities SQL offers to run mission critical applications of the company.

Speaking about the new features of SQL, Anton Canisious says, “With the new SQL Server Developer Tools, IT managers and developers will be able to more quickly respond to new business demands and opportunities. Developers will only need to build applications once and then IT teams can deploy them on their choice of traditional datacenters, appliances, private clouds and the Windows Azure public cloud – including SQL Azure.  SQL Server 2008 R2 was the most secure of any of the major database platforms and delivered six nines (99.9999%) uptime availability. SQL Server 2012 will continue this trend, which will further solidify the platform’s position as one of the leading database servers and information platforms globally.”

Microsoft and partners also announced that SQL Server 2012 has demonstrated new record-breaking performance benchmarks through partner- and Microsoft-led testing that underscores SQL Server’s ability to scale across the enterprise.