Security
- SA account and login exposure
- Encryption at rest and in transit
- Permission sprawl and orphaned users
- Firewall and network segmentation
- Backup encryption status
Free Database Assessment
SQL Server Assessment.
110 Points Audited. Zero Cost.
Find out what's wrong with your SQL Server before it becomes an outage. Our senior DBAs run a proprietary 110-point assessment and hand you a prioritized list of what to fix.
110
Points Checked
0
Downtime Required
0
Code Left Behind
Free
Always
30-minute call. No obligation. No credit card.
What We Check
What Our SQL Server Assessment Covers
We don't just look at SQL Server. We check everything SQL Server depends on.
Performance
- Top wait stats and bottlenecks
- Index fragmentation and missing indexes
- Query plan cache analysis
- TempDB configuration
- Memory and CPU pressure
Cost
- Licensing and edition optimization
- Over-provisioned resources
- Unused or underused instances
- Cloud spend vs. on-prem comparison
- Storage and compute right-sizing
Incident Preparedness
- Backup and restore testing
- Failover and HA configuration
- Disaster recovery readiness
- Alerting and monitoring coverage
- Error log patterns and recurring issues
Best Practices
- SQL Server instance and database configuration
- Maintenance plan review
- Index and statistics management
- Database file placement and growth settings
- Agent job setup and scheduling
Overall Health Score
0
out of 100
Every environment gets a single score based on all 110 checks. You'll see exactly where you stand and what's dragging your number down.
How It Works
Three Steps. One Phone Call.
The whole process starts with a 30-minute conversation.
1
Book a Call
Pick a time. We'll spend 30 minutes learning about your environment and what's keeping you up at night.
2
We Run the Audit
Our DBAs connect securely and run the 110-point check. No installs, no agents, no impact on your production workload.
3
You Get the Report
An executive summary with every finding categorized by severity, plus a recommended fix list in priority order.
What You Get
A Report Your CTO Can Actually Use
Not a data dump. A prioritized list of findings with clear severity levels and recommended next steps.
Your Report Includes
- Executive summary for leadership
- Every finding grouped by category
- Severity rating (critical, warning, info)
- Specific fix recommendations for each finding
- Priority order so you know what to tackle first
- Comparison against SQL Server best practices
Zero Risk
Nothing to Worry About
Secure Access
Encrypted connections, 2FA, your security policies followed.
No Downtime
Read-only scripts that run during peak hours without impact.
Nothing Left Behind
No agents, no installs, no code on your servers.
No Obligation
Use the report however you want. We don't follow up unless you ask.
Why Is the SQL Server Assessment Free?
Because it's the best way for us to show you what we can do. Most companies that go through the assessment end up working with us, either on the fixes or on ongoing managed services. We'd rather earn your business by showing you real problems than by writing sales decks about it.
Results
What Happens After the Assessment
"Red9 DB knowledge is extremely advanced, rarely found on the market. The Red9 DBA was a responsible and reliable person who was always available when needed. Some of the most committed people I have ever worked with."
Elijah G., Manager, LIQ Corp
Already Tried the Free Tools?
Already Ran Microsoft's Free SQL Server Assessment Tools?
Microsoft ships several free ways to assess a SQL Server: the SQL Assessment API, the Azure portal's SQL best practices assessment for SQL Server on Azure VMs, the best practices check built into Azure Data Studio, and the older MAP toolkit for inventory. They are genuinely useful, and we are glad when a team has run one.
Here is what they do and do not do. The free tools run rule-based checks and hand you a list of findings, often hundreds of rows, flagged against generic best practices. What they cannot do is read your workload, weigh a finding against your actual business risk, or tell you which five of the four hundred items matter this quarter. They give you a finding list. They do not give you a fix order.
That is the job our senior DBAs do by hand. The 110-point assessment takes the same raw signal a tool would, adds what a tool cannot see (your query patterns, your cost exposure, your performance tuning headroom, and your version risk if an upgrade is overdue), and hands your CTO a prioritized plan instead of a spreadsheet. If you already ran a free tool and got a wall of findings you cannot act on, that is exactly the moment to talk to us.
Common Questions
Assessment FAQs
What does the assessment include?
Five categories: security, performance, cost, incident preparedness, and best practices. Within each, we check specific settings, configurations, and patterns. For example, under security we look at SA account exposure, encryption, and permission sprawl. Under performance we check wait stats, index health, query plans, and resource pressure. Under cost we look at licensing, over-provisioned resources, and right-sizing opportunities. The full list covers everything from backup encryption to cloud spend optimization.
Will this slow down our production database?
No. Our scripts are read-only and designed to run against production environments without impact. We've run these during peak hours for Fortune 100 companies. There's no write activity, no schema changes, and no locking.
Do you install anything on our servers?
No. We don't install agents, services, or software. We connect securely, run our scripts, and disconnect. Nothing gets left behind on your servers.
How long does the assessment take?
The initial call is about 30 minutes. The audit itself runs in the background and typically takes a few hours depending on the size of your environment. You'll have your report within a few business days of the initial call.
Can I run the checks myself instead of booking a call?
Yes, we're building a free SQL Server Health Check tool that lets you run the same checks yourself. Join the waitlist if you want to go that route. If you'd rather have senior DBAs run it and hand you a prioritized report, booking a call is the better fit.
Is it really free? What's the catch?
It's free. The report is yours to keep regardless of whether you work with us. We offer it because most companies that see the results want help fixing what we find. If you don't, that's fine too.
How is our data kept secure during the audit?
We use encrypted connections and two-factor authentication. We follow your organization's security policies and access requirements. We've worked with healthcare, finance, and government clients that have strict compliance mandates.
Can I get a sample report before committing?
We don't share sample reports because every environment is different and we don't want to set misleading expectations. But the report structure is straightforward: executive summary, findings by category, severity ratings, and a prioritized fix list. You'll see a preview of the format during the initial call.
What happens after I get the report?
That's up to you. Some companies take the report and handle the fixes internally. Others ask us to fix everything through a consulting engagement. Some end up on one of our managed services plans for ongoing support. There's no pressure either way.
Find Out What's Hiding in Your SQL Server
Book a 30-minute call. We'll run 110 checks, hand you the results, and let you decide what to do next. No cost, no commitment.
Book Your Free Assessment ➜Or call us directly: 1-877-891-1870