What is a one sentence summary of your feature request?
Enable Netwrix Auditor to use Azure SQL Managed Instance as a fully supported backend database option.
Please describe your idea in detail. What is your problem, why do you feel this idea is the best solution, etc.
Currently, Netwrix Auditor relies on traditional on-premises or IaaS-hosted SQL Server deployments for its backend database. This creates limitations for organizations that are actively adopting cloud-first or hybrid architectures within Microsoft Azure.
The idea is to introduce native support for Azure SQL Managed Instance as a backend database for Netwrix Auditor. Azure SQL MI provides near 100% compatibility with SQL Server while offering fully managed capabilities such as automated patching, backups, high availability, and built-in security features.
Key benefits of this approach:
Reduced operational overhead: No need to maintain SQL Server VMs (patching, backups, HA setup).
Improved security posture: Integration with Azure security features (Private Endpoints, Azure AD authentication, TDE).
Cloud-native alignment: Fits organizations moving toward PaaS and reducing infrastructure footprint.
High availability & resilience: Built-in HA without complex SQL clustering configurations.
Cost optimization potential: Especially for environments already invested in Azure Reserved Capacity or hybrid benefits.
Given that Azure SQL MI maintains strong compatibility with SQL Server, the required changes on the application side should be minimal compared to supporting Azure SQL Database (PaaS single DB), making it a practical and low-risk enhancement.
How do you currently solve the challenges you have by not having this feature?
At the moment, the only viable workaround is deploying SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines to host the Netwrix Auditor database. This approach has several drawbacks:
Requires full lifecycle management (patching, backups, monitoring).
Introduces additional infrastructure complexity (VMs, storage, networking).
Higher operational costs due to maintenance and administrative overhead.
Less alignment with internal cloud strategies focused on PaaS services.
Some teams attempt partial mitigation by automating SQL VM maintenance or using managed backup solutions, but this still does not provide the same level of simplicity, scalability, and security as Azure SQL Managed Instance.