Has all this end-of-support Sybase Service news got you down? You’re not alone. It’s been a long and winding road for Sybase ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise) and its journey to becoming the SAP ASE database. If your business is like so many others who have come to depend on Sybase for your data managed services, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to the cost and security of maintenance and support moving forward.
Since SAP acquired Sybase in 2010, concerns over the platform’s innovation and continued support have been in question. SAP’s investment in Sybase ASE has been on the decline since they’ve been putting resources into HANA.
With Cloud development serving as SAP’s main priority, on-premises customers are finding it increasingly difficult to access the managed and support services necessary for keeping their systems operational. As a result, current ASE versions are marked for end-of-support as of December 31, 2025. Even ASE 16.1, after its recent release in Q4 2022, has an end-of-maintenance date scheduled for December 31, 2030.
While it may prove a challenge to plan your next move, Spinnaker Support recognizes four options you can pursue with confidence.
Option 1: Short-Term Move to the Cloud
If you’re worried about what these Sybase ASE end-of-maintenance and end-of-support deadlines mean for your business, a short-term migration of database managed services to cloud services is one way to go. This could look like making a move to the SAP ASE Cloud that launched in the spring of 2022, with cloud platform running through Microsoft Azure, and all the work involved in that kind of decision. The challenge here is accounting for all the time needed to migrate your database, which is a cumbersome endeavor notorious for slowing operations in the process. As a short-term move, this may not seem worth the effort.
Option 2: Flexibility to Modernize the Sybase Platform
A simpler way to address Sybase service and maintenance concerns is to use software upgrades and patches to keep your system updated and secure. This will allow you to update to the latest version of Sybase ASE to access the most up-to-date features and functionality and get the most out of Sybase, which has worked great for years. This option covers maintenance needs but still leaves a gap in support after these projected end dates for Sybase Service arrive.
Option 3: Continue Migrating Away from Sybase
Another solution may be to move to an open-source database. Options include PostgreSQL, or the Microsoft SQL Server as a comparable database alternative, for increased flexibility. The downside to this kind of move away from the SAP ASE database is losing the time and money already invested in Sybase ASE in addition to the costs of executing the migration.
Option 4: Get Expert Support for Your Current System
When an application is facing legacy status, this does not mean it stops being critical for business and IT operations. You may feel that Sybase has always run smoothly and still aligns with your business needs. Making the most of your SAP Sybase ASE investment means careful planning is essential. Even as database-managed services lose their service and support, you still need assurance that the system will work properly, and that the data will remain secure. In this case, it will be critical to have support and in-house expertise available for maintenance and security.
How We Can Help
Besides our award-winning Third-Party Support for SAP environments, Spinnaker Support offers best-in-class managed services for Sybase in the form of Database Managed Services. With Database Managed Services, you’ll receive reliable, scalable, 24/7 database monitoring performed by an expert team of remote Database Administrators (DBAs) who have the knowledge and experience needed to keep your system operational. In addition, our experienced team will proactively service your system, providing operational sybase database support for your existing infrastructure. Our features and services include the following:
- Help extending the life of your Sybase ASE environment while you migrate
- Assigned DBAs
- Ongoing health and security checks
- 24/7 database monitoring
- Data corruption support
- Preventative maintenance
- Database assessments, enhancements, and security
- Database backup and restoration
- Troubleshooting
- Performance tuning
To provide insight into the ongoing DBA tasks, we provide the Spinnaker performance dashboard (reserved for Gold- and Platinum-level clients), a data warehouse, and an interactive console. The dashboard gathers and organizes critical data from multiple systems, providing a comprehensive view of your database environment and support tasks.
If you have any questions about Spinnaker Support’s Sybase Service offerings, please reach out to one of our representatives for more information.