Over the past several months, we’ve heard from countless customers who are eager for more robust options to protect, compress, and safeguard their SQL Server data. Since introducing these features in public preview, organizations of all sizes have validated their value in real-world workloads and provided invaluable feedback. Today, we are thrilled to announce the General Availability (GA) of three powerful SQL Server 2025 features: Backups on Secondary for Always On Availability Groups, ZSTD Compression, and Immutable Backups for Ransomware Protection. These advancements are now ready for production use, built around the needs and requests of the SQL Server customers.
Backups on Secondary for SQL Server Always On Availability Groups
Previously in preview, this feature now reaches GA, allowing you to offload backup operations to secondary replicas in Always On Availability Groups. This enhancement optimizes resource utilization and minimizes overhead on primary replicas, ensuring better performance for mission-critical workloads.
What’s New in GA:
- Improved reliability and support for production environments.
Key Benefits:
- Comprehensive support: Full, differential, and transaction log backups are now fully supported on secondary replicas—not just COPY_ONLY and transaction logs.
- Reduced impact on primary replica performance.
- Simplified high-availability strategies.
Learn more from the original announcement: Introducing Backups on Secondary for SQL Server Always On Availability Groups.
ZSTD Compression in SQL Server 2025
The GA of ZSTD compression brings modern, efficient data compression to SQL Server. ZSTD compression introduces industry-leading performance and efficiency, letting you save storage and speed up workloads.
What’s New in GA:
- Full production support for ZSTD across key workloads.
Key Benefits:
- Faster compression and decompression compared to legacy algorithms.
- Lower storage footprint without sacrificing performance.
- Choose your algorithm: ZSTD is now a standard option right alongside MS_XPRESS for row, page, and backup compression.
- Tunable compression levels: Administrators can select from LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH to balance resource use and savings.
- Ideal for large-scale data environments.
Explore the preview details: ZSTD Compression in SQL Server 2025.
Backups to immutable storage: A Powerful Shield Against Ransomware
Your backups are now safer than ever. Thanks to native support for immutability with Azure Blob Storage, backup files can be rendered tamper-proof—protecting them from ransomware or even accidental deletion.
Key Benefits:
- Strong defense against ransomware and malicious tampering.
- Compliance with regulatory requirements for data integrity.
- Peace of mind for critical backup strategies.
Read the detailed use-case and how-to: Immutability: A Powerful Shield Against Ransomware in SQL Environments.
These features collectively empower organizations to:
- Optimize performance and resource utilization.
- Reduce operational costs through efficient compression.
- Strengthen security posture against evolving threats.
Get Started Today
These features are available to all SQL Server 2025 customers. Ready to elevate your data protection, efficiency, and compliance posture?
- Access the official SQL Server 2025 documentation for step-by-step guides via visit Microsoft Learn.
- Review upgrade guidance and best practices.
- Explore real-world configurations and FAQs.
Upgrade now and unlock the next level of resilience, efficiency, and security for your SQL Server workloads!
Microsoft