Securely Connecting Azure VM to On-Premises SQL Server

Question

I'm reaching out to seek guidance on securely establishing a SQL connection between an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) and an on-premises SQL Server.

I'm considering the following approaches:

• Azure Site-to-Site VPN
• Azure ExpressRoute
• Azure VPN Gateway (Point-to-Site)
• Azure Database Migration Service
• Azure Hybrid Connection

I would appreciate your expert advice on the most suitable approach for my specific scenario. Please feel free to suggest alternative solutions or best practices.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Answer 1

Hi @American Water BE,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

Please see below points:

1. For high performance solutions, I would recommend using Express routes if budget is not a constraint
2. For temporary requirements which is not a long term, you can go with Point to Site VPN for VM and use hybrid connections for less frequent and light access.

For quick comparisons, please see this reference link- https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/fasttrackforazureblog/azure-vpn-gateway-vs-expressroute---quick-comparison/3725670

For DB migration, you can use DB migration services for moving DB to azure. Reference Link: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/database-migration/?msockid=2077390ab4af66e105de2d1bb5a9679e

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