In my first post, I talked about how SQL Sentry has taken shape over the years. Now we announced SQL Sentry 2023.3, and a lot is changing. In the past, customers could only work with SQL Sentry through an installed, Windows-based client. It’s a feature-rich interface with access to everything you need with no limit to how many users install it. But we heard our customers; they wanted a web-based interface with a simplified user experience.

In August, a ransomware attack hit another company. Unfortunately, it hit a regional cloud provider in Europe this time, and we can call this a “critical hit.” So far, we know a virtual server got compromised and used as a jump host; from there, the attacker started to encrypt all volumes in the same domain. Based on pure luck or some profound reconnaissance, the same server migrated into a different data center and continued its unplanned job from there.

We’ve been watching the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) industry’s rapid evolution over the last decade, and so much of it is thanks to advancements in database technologies. They're on a wild digital transformation journey, aiming to boost their operational efficiency, elevate customer experiences, personalize their services, and streamline everything across the industry.

The exponential growth of applications and digital commerce has met with unprecedented security breaches across software supply chains.

According to a study conducted by the Service Desk Institute, Enterprise Service Management (ESM) strategies were adopted by 68% of organizations by mid-2021. This was a 58% increase from two years prior when ESM solutions were far less prevalent. So, what drove such a dramatic increase in ESM strategy adoption? Most likely the overwhelming benefits of ESM.

It’s IT Pro Day! It's the time of year we all get together to recognize the hard work IT Pros do all year round. So, let’s gather ‘round the warmth of the server room and share stories of bravery in the face of angry end users, feats of impressive networking skill, cyber defense heroism, and other harrowing IT stories. SolarWinds proudly established IT Pro Day in 2015 to show some much-needed recognition to the IT Pros who keep everything running.

With the release of SQL Sentry 2023.3, I look back at the past 18 years I have worked with the product to admire where it is today versus then. It’s been an incredible experience with a lot of moving parts, but no matter what market forces or acquisitions happen along the way, the core intention of “Improving the lives of Microsoft DBAs everywhere” has stayed the same. This is a two-part blog post: below, I’ll talk about our history and where we’ve come from.

This month, I celebrate 11 years of working on SQL Sentry. I started as employee number 15 at SentryOne and then moved through various roles in support, customer success, and professional services to my current role as product manager. In an industry where innovation and adaptation are key, the journey of SQL Sentry and its team has been remarkable. SQL Sentry has come a long way since its early days.