Beyond Lift‑and‑Shift: The Strategic Move from VM SQL to Azure SQL

Many organizations still run SQL Server on VMs often for historic compatibility or operational habits. Moving those workloads to Azure SQL (Azure SQL Managed Instance or Azure SQL Database) shifts you from “owning servers” to consuming a managed service, reducing maintenance overhead while improving built‑in security, availability, and scale.
The session explains when to choose Managed Instance (near‑full engine compatibility, instance‑level features) versus Azure SQL Database (app‑centric, elastic scale, hyperscale options), then walks through a practical migration path: inventory and assess with Azure Migrate and Data Migration Assistant, plan network/identity/HA, select online migration with the Azure Database Migration Service or the SQL migration extension for Azure Data Studio for minimal downtime, run dress‑rehearsal cutovers, and validate performance post‑move. We’ll cover common blockers (SQL Agent jobs, logins, linked servers), patterns for low‑downtime cutover, and cost/performance tuning on day 2. Attendees leave with a decision checklist, a reference architecture, and a step‑by‑step playbook to confidently move from VM‑based SQL to Azure SQL.