Security
Supported platforms receive regular security updates, patches and bug fixes — reducing exposure to breaches, hacking and unauthorised access.
Project delivery · ITIL change management
Upgrades, migrations and DR
Get off unsupported versions, move platforms without a bad weekend, and put disaster recovery in place that has actually been failover-tested. Fixed price where the scope is defined.
The cost of staying put
Running an unsupported database version?
Every month on an unsupported release is a month without security patches, on hardware that is drifting out of compatibility, with no vendor to escalate to. Upgrading buys back six things at once.
Performance
Newer releases bring better performance, scalability and reliability, with faster query response and improved overall system throughput.
Compatibility
Supported versions work with modern hardware and software, cutting the integration problems that come from an ageing platform.
Vendor support
A supported platform comes with technical support, documentation and online resources, so issues get resolved rather than worked around.
New capability
Upgrades introduce features that streamline processes, improve data analysis and support better decision-making.
Lower cost
Staying on an outdated platform is expensive in maintenance, extended support and downtime. Upgrading reduces those costs over time.
Upgrade & migration paths
Routes we have run before
These are established paths, not exploratory work — each has been executed on production estates with a tested rollback plan behind it.
SQL Server upgrades
- SQL 2012 / 2014 → 2017 / 2019
- SQL 2008 → 2012 / 2016 / 2017 / 2019
- SQL 2005 → 2012 / 2016 / 2017 / 2019
- SQL 2000 → 2012 / 2016 / 2017 / 2019
- Service packs on 2016 / 2017 / 2019
- Hotfixes & patches on any instance
Oracle & other platforms
- Upgrade to Oracle 12c / 18c / 19c
- Critical patches
- PSU / CPU application
- GoldenGate upgrade
- MySQL upgrade
- OEM upgrade
- WebLogic upgrade
Platform & cloud migrations
- Oracle → EDB Postgres
- Oracle cross-platform
- SQL Server → Azure SQL
- SQL Server → Azure SQL MI
- On-premises → AWS
- On-premises → Azure
- On-premises → Oracle Cloud
High availability & disaster recovery
The HA and DR solutions we build
An RPO and RTO on a slide is not a DR plan. We design against your actual recovery targets, then prove them with a tested failover before handover.
- SQL Server AlwaysOn availability groups
- SQL Server failover clustering
- SQL Server database mirroring
- SQL Server replication and log shipping
- Oracle Data Guard implementation
- Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC)
- MySQL clustering solutions
- EDB Postgres Failover Manager
How we deliver
Five stages, ITIL change management throughout
The same method whether it is a patch window or a platform migration — the difference is scale, not rigour.
Understand & assess
Business requirements, feasibility study, risk assessment and dependency analysis, so nobody discovers the linked server on cutover night.
Design & plan
Solution design against your real RPO and RTO, an implementation and rollback plan, and stakeholder engagement before a change ticket is raised.
Prove it
A proof of concept where the risk warrants one, so the approach is validated somewhere other than production.
Implement & test
Execution under ITIL change management, with failover and application testing to confirm the outcome rather than assume it.
Release & document
Production release, comprehensive design, build and operational documentation, and a closed change record your auditors can follow.
On every project
What you get regardless of scope
These are standard inclusions, not upsells — they are how we keep delivery predictable for you and for us.
No single point of failure
Two specialists, minimum
At least two database specialists are assigned to every project, so delivery never depends on one person being available.
Reviewed at each stage
Peer-reviewed quality
A peer review process at each stage means the work is checked by a second senior engineer before it reaches your environment.
Design, build, operate
Full documentation
Comprehensive design, build and operational documents — so your team can run and troubleshoot what we hand over.
Weekly cadence
Weekly reporting
Weekly project reporting and billing on time-and-materials engagements, so there are no surprises at invoice time.
Around the clock
On-time delivery
Our team works around the clock where a cutover window demands it, to hit the date you have committed to internally.
Milestone-based
Fixed-price option
Where scope can be defined, the whole project is quoted as one fixed price with milestone payments and no cost-overrun risk.
See project pricing ›Still on a version nobody supports?
Book a free scoping call. We will assess the upgrade path, flag the dependencies that usually bite, and tell you what it would take — with no obligation to proceed.
Book a Free Scoping CallPublished
FAQ
Common questions
Where the scope can be defined, the project is quoted as a single fixed price with milestone-based payments, so there is no cost-overrun risk. Open-scope or advisory work is $150 per hour with a four-hour minimum. Both are GST exclusive and the scoping call is free.
SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2014 up to 2016, 2017 or 2019, plus service pack and cumulative update installation and hotfix application on existing instances. Compatibility and dependency analysis is done before any change is scheduled.
Yes — upgrades to Oracle 12c, 18c and 19c, critical patch application, PSU/CPU rollouts, plus GoldenGate, MySQL, Oracle Enterprise Manager and WebLogic upgrades.
SQL Server AlwaysOn availability groups, failover clustering, database mirroring, replication and log shipping; Oracle Data Guard and Real Application Clusters; MySQL clustering; and EDB Postgres Failover Manager. Each is failover-tested before handover.
Dependency analysis before planning, a proof of concept where the risk warrants it, a rehearsed cutover with a tested rollback plan, and execution inside an agreed change window under ITIL change management. Where a window is tight, the team works around the clock to hold the date.
Yes. Established paths include SQL Server to Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance, on-premises to AWS, Azure or Oracle Cloud, Oracle cross-platform moves, and Oracle to EDB Postgres for licence cost reduction.
At least two certified database specialists are assigned to every project, so delivery never depends on one person. Each stage is peer reviewed by a second senior engineer before it reaches your environment.
Comprehensive design, build and operational documentation, a closed ITIL change record for your auditors, and evidence from failover and application testing. On time-and-materials engagements you also get weekly project reporting throughout.