By Don Boxley, CEO and Co-Founder, DH2i

The financial services sector, including banking, mortgages, credit cards, payment services, tax preparation and planning, accounting, and investing, is one of the world’s most important and influential sectors. Here, assuring reputation and trust are a must. There are of course a number of critical factors that must be addressed to do so, however one that tops the list is ensuring that data and services access remain uninterrupted and available at all times.

In order to do so, procedures and technology that ensure high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) are crucial – not only for reputation and trust, but for complying with the industry’s strict regulations.

In this article, I will discuss one such area that plays a key role in most financial organizations – that is maintaining a resilient and responsive Microsoft SQL Server infrastructure, which is unfortunately… no walk in the park.

The Challenge of SQL Server in Financial Services

Like most industries, SQL Server is the cornerstone of many financial organizations’ data architecture. It is also common that these organizations are managing hundreds or even thousands of SQL Server instances, which can make effectively configuring HA and DR feel like a virtually impossible task. Add to that the complexity of ensuring compliance, managing costs, and meeting stringent service-level agreements (SLAs), and it becomes clear why so many financial organizations struggle to create a unified HA/DR strategy.

While SQL Server is a powerful and one of the world’s most widely adopted platforms, it often requires very specific and unique solutions to ensure HA and DR. And if done wrong, instead of improving the financial institutions HA and DR posture, it can instead introduce unnecessary complexity, potential failure points, and inflated costs – challenges that financial institutions, constrained by budgets and regulatory requirements, can’t afford.

Where to Begin? Planning a Resilient HA/DR Architecture

Step number one for IT professionals in financial services is to assess the current infrastructure and determine the availability needs for each application or database. Here, a tiered approach can serve to help prioritize resources and ensure the highest levels of protection for the most mission-critical services, while utilizing a more cost-effective approach to HA for applications with lower uptime requirements.

Here’s a breakdown of how you can categorize your HA/DR requirements:

  • Tier 1 – Multi-Site HA + DR – For mission-critical apps with the strictest SLAs, ensure HA across multiple sites with SQL Server instances replicating between geographically separate locations – this ensures failover within and between sites for seamless recovery
  • Tier 2 – Multi-Site Availability Groups (AG) Without HA – For apps with slightly less stringent availability demands, deploy SQL Server instances at two sites with AG replication, ensuring data availability without full intra-site HA
  • Tier 3 – Single-Site HA Only – For services where intra-site HA is sufficient, but cross-site DR isn’t required, reduce costs and complexity by focusing on local HA solutions

Choosing the Right Tools and Technologies for Financial Services

Financial organizations face a myriad of challenges when trying to select technologies that offer flexibility and platform independence – yet, this is crucial. Consequently, IT professionals should opt for solutions that integrate with both Windows and Linux environments, which will allow for hybrid deployments that meet your specific needs.

The use of Extended Vhosts is one innovative approach to simplifying SQL Server architecture. Extended Vhosts offer a cost-effective means of providing intra-site and cross-site HA while leveraging the built-in capabilities of SQL Server and Availability Groups (AG) for replication.

And, what’s more… by reducing reliance on third-party replication solutions, financial institutions can significantly reduce technology costs and streamline their infrastructure.

Implementing a Tiered Model for SQL Server HA/DR

Once you’ve established a tiered approach, the next step is configuring your infrastructure accordingly:

  • Tier 1 – Multi-Site HA + DR Configuration: Set up HA instances at each site, use AG replication to synchronize data, and configure automatic failover for uninterrupted service during both site and local failures
  • Tier 2 – Multi-Site AG Without HA: Deploy SQL Server instances at multiple sites, using AG replication to ensure data redundancy and availability
  • Tier 3 – Single-Site HA Configuration: Focus on local failover within a single site to ensure high availability for applications that don’t require cross-site DR

Optimizing Costs While Maintaining Security and Compliance

Cost is always top of mind for financial organizations, especially when dealing with SQL Server licensing. Consider reducing your Windows footprint and exploring Linux-based deployments to cut OS licensing fees. This approach is particularly beneficial in larger environments, where the licensing costs for hundreds of SQL Server instances can quickly escalate.

Other cost-saving measures include consolidating SQL Server instances using containerization, and eliminating third-party replication by fully leveraging SQL Server’s built-in AG capabilities.

Ensuring Continuous Monitoring and Testing

Once your HA/DR infrastructure is in place, continuous testing and monitoring are essential. Regularly test both intra-site and cross-site failover processes to verify they meet your SLAs and recovery objectives. Implement real-time monitoring and automated alerting to detect and address issues before they impact your production environment.

Achieving Business Continuity in Financial Services

For financial institutions, a unified HA/DR strategy that leverages innovative technologies like extended vhosts can help achieve business continuity, reduce costs, and simplify infrastructure management. By planning ahead, streamlining architecture, and optimizing SQL Server deployments, financial organizations can protect their operations, ensure data availability, and meet even the most stringent regulatory and customer demands.

This approach can be adapted across industries where data availability, cost efficiency, and resiliency are paramount, but it’s particularly critical for financial services – where disruptions can affect the bottom line and customer trust.

About Don Boxley

Don Boxley Jr is a DH2i Co-founder and CEO. He has more than 20 years in management positions for leading technology companies. Boxley earned his MBA from the Johnson School of Management, Cornell University.