rewrite this title Microsoft’s Azure Shift Could Raise Costs and Security Challenges for Database Monitoring

Microsoft has announced a significant shift in its enterprise database monitoring strategy that will force many organizations to reconsider their IT infrastructure approach. The tech giant revealed that several critical monitoring tools will reach “End of Support” in January 2027, effectively pushing enterprises toward Azure-based cloud services.

Specifically, the company is deprecating the SCOM Management Packs for SSRS, PBIRS, and SSAS, which countless IT departments rely on daily to keep their database operations running smoothly.

This move represents more than just another software update cycle. For enterprises that have maintained on-premises infrastructure for decades, often due to security requirements or legacy dependencies, the deprecation signals a fundamental change in how they will need to manage database monitoring.

Understanding the Deprecated Management Tools

To grasp the full impact of this announcement, it is important to understand what is being retired. System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) serves as a cross-platform monitoring system that lets companies oversee their entire IT infrastructure, from operating systems to hardware components. It acts as a centralized command center where IT teams can view and manage activity across their technology ecosystem.

The management packs being deprecated work in conjunction with several key Microsoft technologies. SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is a server-based system that creates, deploys, and manages charts and data reports. Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) is an on-premises report server with a web portal for displaying and managing reports and key performance indicators. SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) serves as an analytical data engine powering business intelligence and data mining operations.

These management packs are not just nice-to-have tools; they are mission-critical for IT operations. They continuously monitor whether reporting and analysis services are running properly, providing real-time alerts when databases slow down or servers approach memory limits. When known errors occur, these packs can automatically trigger fixes without human intervention, preventing minor issues from escalating into major outages.

Perhaps most valuable is the unified interface they provide. IT managers can view the operational status of all their SQL services worldwide from a single dashboard, making it easier to manage global infrastructure efficiently. This centralized visibility has become fundamental to how many enterprise IT departments operate, which makes the transition to a completely different system particularly challenging.

The Financial and Operational Impact of Migration

The shift to Azure-based monitoring represents a fundamental change in both technology and cost structure. Enterprises upgrading to SQL Server 2025 will need to adopt Azure Monitor and related cloud services, which operate on different principles from the tools being deprecated.

The cost implications extend beyond training. SCOM operates on a fixed license cost model, making IT budgets predictable and easy to plan. Azure Monitor, by contrast, bills based on the volume of data ingested into the system. For enterprises with extensive monitoring requirements, this consumption-based pricing could significantly alter monthly IT expenditures. Organizations used to predictable licensing costs may find their monitoring expenses fluctuating based on usage patterns, complicating budget forecasting.

Many enterprises have maintained on-premises infrastructure for compelling reasons. Security-conscious organizations, particularly those in regulated industries like finance and healthcare, prefer keeping sensitive data within their own environments. Others are bound by legacy systems that cannot easily move to the cloud. For these companies, the forced migration to Azure-based monitoring creates a difficult choice: accept the complexity and cost of cloud integration or face unsupported monitoring tools.

Microsoft is positioning this transition as an opportunity to modernize infrastructure management through Azure Arc, which connects local servers to Azure cloud services. The company highlights benefits such as scalability, centralized telemetry collection, and contemporary dashboards. However, these advantages come with added costs and the need to fundamentally change how enterprises architect their monitoring infrastructure—a significant undertaking regardless of potential benefits.

What Enterprises Should Do Now

Microsoft has outlined a migration path for organizations ready to make the transition. The process begins with enabling Azure Arc on SSRS, PBIRS, and SSAS servers to register and manage them within Azure’s ecosystem. Teams must then install the Azure Monitor Agent on each Arc-enabled server to collect telemetry, followed by creating a Log Analytics Workspace to centralize monitoring data.

Next, IT teams must define Data Collection Rules to gather performance counters, event logs, and custom logs specific to their needs. They will also need to configure alerts for service health, performance thresholds, and configuration issues, essentially rebuilding the alert infrastructure they developed over years with SCOM. Finally, they must build new dashboards and reports using Azure Monitor Workbooks to replicate and improve their existing visibility into system operations.

With phase one already underway and no new features or security updates planned for the deprecated tools, enterprises face a two-year window to complete migration before support ends entirely in January 2027. For large organizations with complex global infrastructure, two years may be barely enough given the scope of work involved.

While cloud-based monitoring offers real advantages in modern capabilities and centralized management, the transition costs and operational changes required mean enterprises should treat this migration as a major IT initiative rather than a routine upgrade.