IT Connection Newsletter: Number 6
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Expertise:
Planning, Deployment, Application Development, DBA Services
SQL Server is Microsoft's flagship database management and analysis system and is tightly integrated with key Microsoft platforms such as SharePoint, Excel, Microsoft CRM, and Dynamics GP (Great Plains). Progent can provide the expertise of Microsoft-certified engineers as well as experienced application developers, database administrators, project managers, network architects, disaster recovery experts, and security specialists to help you derive the maximum business value from your deployment of SQL Server 2012.
SQL Server is Microsoft's top database management and analysis system and is tightly integrated with key Microsoft platforms such as SharePoint, Excel, CRM, and Dynamics GP (Great Plains). SQL Server 2012 has a broad range of features that offer major improvements in vital areas such as availability, security, performance, manageability, analytics, cloud readiness, scalability, collaboration, fast application development, and data discovery. SQL Server 2012 also consolidates the key editions of SQL Server from five to three, simplifying the selection of a version that fits your needs.
Progent can provide the expertise of Microsoft-certified engineers as well as experienced application developers, DBAs, DR/BC experts, network designers, and security specialists to help you evaluate the potential benefits of SQL Server 2012 for your business, set up pilot systems at your datacenter or at Progent's lab, plan and carry out a smooth migration to SQL Server 2012 either from prior releases of SQL Server or from other platforms, and design an efficient and secure environment that helps you maximize the business benefit of SQL Server 2012.
AlwaysOn High-Availability for SQL Server 2012
The headline innovation incorporated into SQL Server 2012 is Microsoft's AlwaysOn solution, which provides flexible and cost-effective system design options for insulating mission-critical application databases from downtime caused either by scheduled maintenance or network failures. Microsoft designed AlwaysOn to achieve or exceed the famous "five nines" availability, or 99.9999% uptime, which translates into just a few minutes of downtime per year.
AlwaysOn technology uses two enhancements in SQL Server 2012 to eliminate the inefficiencies of SQL Server 2008's Failover Clustering Instances (FCIs) for high availability (HA) and SQL Server 2008's database mirroring mechanism for disaster recovery (DR). For a more effective and affordable HADR solution, SQL 2012 includes AlwaysOn Failover Cluster Instances and the new AlwaysOn Availability Groups.
AlwaysOn Failover Clustering Instances support multi-subnet clustering across geographically dispersed sites, allowing you to deploy so-called Stretch Clusters. This architecture offers both a high level of availability as well as the basis for an advanced disaster recovery solution. SQL Server 2012's AlwaysOn FCI also improves failure detection and provides more flexibility for configuring an optimal failover policy. In addition, SQL Server 2012 has an option for indirect checkpoints as a viable alternative to automatic checkpoints. This new feature allows you to specify the maximum permissible downtime for a database so you can safely guarantee the recovery time of critical databases in case of a failover event.
AlwaysOn Availability Groups in SQL Server 2012 improve mirroring in SQL Server 2008 by allowing log-based data movement without shared disks and thereby enabling zero data loss in case of a fail over condition.
AlwaysOn Availability Groups improve database uptime as well as resource utilization by letting you define sets of user databases that fail over as a single logical unit and to create a set of primary and secondary availability replicas to host copies of each availability database. Availability Groups can have four secondary replicas and feature listeners for fast application failover over, automatic page repair to event page corruption, and the ability to force a Failover Clustering (WSFC) quorum. Secondary replicas can be used actively for read-intent applications and backup in order to improve hardware utilization.
For additional information about Progent's consulting support for Microsoft SQL Server 2012, see Progent's Support Services for SQL Server 2012.
Contact Progent about SQL Server 2012 Consulting Services
To find out more about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft SQL Server 2012, call Progent at
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An index of content::
Windows Server 2008 Active Directory IT Consulting
Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Support and Setup
Windows Server 2008 represents a major step forward in making information networks more secure and available, easier to virtualize and manage, higher performing, and able to offer an improved environment for web hosting and development. Progent can help your company get the most from the improvements built into Microsoft Windows Server 2008 by providing consulting, troubleshooting, training, staffing, monitoring, and security services.
Great Plains Accounting Consult
Dynamics GP Continuum Consulting
Progent's expertise delivering Microsoft .NET support and SQL Server help, and Progent's application development experience with Microsoft VBasic, XML, and other developer tools make it possible to design specialized mission-critical applications and eCommerce environments that integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains Software. Progent's Dynamics GP/Great Plains management reporting consultants can help you create reports that allow you to track your business more thoroughly, turning uncooked information into valuable insights into your company and customers.
Check Point VPN-1 Cybersecurity Firms
Check Point UTM-1 Edge Technology Consulting
Progent's Check Point firewall consultants can show you how to plan, configure, and manage firewall environments that rely on Check Point Software Next Generation firewalls and Check Point's subscription-based SandBlast security services. Progent can also help you maintain older Check Point firewalls or migrate smoothly to Check Point's next-generation firewalls.
Live Online Office Publisher Training
Online Visio Training Systems Support
Progent's webinar training classes provide small companies the affordability, ease, and versatility of web-based learning plus the effective pedagogic methods of seasoned teachers who employ advanced technology to emulate live, interactive classrooms. Progent can provide webinar training for popular desktop software including components of Microsoft Office such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook: Dynamics business accounting and management products such as MS Dynamics GP (Great Plains); as well as other leading desktop applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat Writer, and Crystal Reports.
Support and Integration Citrix and Microsoft Hyper-V
Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V Consultancy
Progent's Citrix-certified experts can assist your organization to assess the potential business value of the available versions of Essentials for Hyper-V, assist you to use Citrix management tools with your Microsoft Hyper-V network, and demonstrate to you how to use Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V to improve the responsiveness, uptime, flexibility, and fault tolerance of your virtual environment while reducing the cost of resources and operations and streamlining management processes.
Wireless Security Remote Support Services
Smartphone Online Technical Support
Progent's Wireless Consulting Services provide a fast, affordable way for businesses of all sizes to configure, manage and troubleshoot the latest wireless network technology. For 802.11n and the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi networks, Progent can help you design and install appliances such as Cisco's Aironet and Meraki access points and wireless controllers. For mobile email and web-based applications, Progent supports Apple iPhones, Apple iPads, Google Android smartphones, and Windows smartphones and tablets.
Patch management services Consultants
Software patch management Professionals
Progent's support services for patch management offer organizations of any size a versatile and affordable alternative for evaluating, testing, scheduling, applying, and tracking software and firmware updates to your virtual and physical; servers, endpoints scanners, network appliances like routers and Wi-Fi access points, and Internet-of-Things devices such as alarms and health monitors.
MSP360 Server Backup Support Outsourcing
Technical Support Services MSP360 Server Backup
Progent can assist you to create, install and administer a backup solution based on MSP360 Backup technology to protect your assets residing on any leading public cloud. Progent offers monitoring and remote management to prevent data loss resulting from user mistakes, software errors, malicious insiders, and external assaults like ransomware.
Top Quality Security Firms Juniper SRX650 Router
Juniper SRX210 Router Secure
Progent's Juniper-certified network engineers can help you evaluate the business case for adopting Juniper's SRX Series gateways, plan and execute cost-effective deployments, configure equipment to reflect your security strategy, and provide ongoing consulting services to help you monitor, manage, update, and troubleshoot your environment in order to maximize the business value of your SRX gateway solution.
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