This article announces Bring Your Own Media (BYOM) for Amazon RDS for SQL Server, allowing customers to reuse existing SQL Server licenses on fully managed RDS without additional licensing fees.

• Reuse existing SQL Server Standard or Enterprise Edition licenses with Software Assurance
• Upload SQL Server RTM media to S3 and launch BYOM instances from RDS Console
• AWS License Manager automatically tracks BYOM instances and vCPU usage for compliance
• Eliminates licensing barrier between on-premises SQL Server data and AWS AI services
• Provides lift-and-shift path with automated patching, backups, and high availability
• RTM files must use core-based licensing and English language only
• Customer remains responsible for license compliance verification
• Available in all commercial AWS Regions supporting Amazon RDS for SQL Server

BYOM enables enterprises to migrate SQL Server workloads to managed AWS infrastructure while protecting existing licensing investments and accessing cloud-native AI and analytics services.