Microsoft has announced it’s about to bring its database software, SQL Server, to Linux. The move comes as some surprise, as Microsoft has never allowed SQL Server to run on another platform. Less of a surprise is that this direction is firmly aligned with CEO Satya Nadella’s vision of Microsoft’s priority to sell services.

Such a coupling may have been unimaginable in the past, say in the days when former CEO Steve Ballmer likened Linux, the free OS, to “communism”. Times have certainly changed, with Nadella recently stating in The New York Times, relating to this latest move, that, “Data is the core asset now.”

He goes on to say that going after computers running the OS Linux is a “market expansion opportunity,” although at the same time handing SQL over to Linux certainly is a little risky given that it will bite into Windows sales. Nadella’s vision is one in which Microsoft works with partners, with the CEO going as far to say that “Microsoft loves Linux” in a 2015 blog post. The companies do have close ties, with Microsoft already running Linux in its cloud. The present risk is one Nadella knows Microsoft must take, knowing that one’s eggs are better off kept in various baskets.

In a Microsoft blog post, financial strategy was alluded to, as well as partnership fidelity. Al Gillen, group vice president, enterprise infrastructure, at IDC, said, “By taking this key product to Linux Microsoft is proving its commitment to being a cross platform solution provider. This gives customers choice and reduces the concerns for lock-in. We would expect this will also accelerate the overall adoption of SQL Server.”

SQL Server will be available for users to install on their Linux servers, and also become available for Linux virtual machines running in the Microsoft Azure cloud. It is available in preview now, and is expected to be released for general availability mid-2017. Microsoft listed SQL Server 2016’s new capabilities here.

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