December is often a time of reflection, and this year has been more unusual than most. It’s been another year of Zoom calls, still, there have also been signs of recovery and getting back to normal with increased travel, family reunions, the reopening of pubs and restaurants, and some in-person events. This year will also be known as the year of the “Great Resignation” as employees expect more from their jobs or rethink their careers. The world isn’t back to normal and, possibly, will never completely go back to the way things were.

This year has also been a big year for Redgate. Early in the year, Redgate announced some exciting news: the organization had acquired the recordings, URLs, and trademarks from the PASS organization, including SQLSaturday. PASS ceased operations in January 2021 after hosting the yearly premier data platform conference and being the home of the community for over 20 years. By buying the assets, Redgate ensured that the community would continue to “connect, share, and learn.” When I heard about the purchase, I knew that no other company could be trusted more than Redgate to care for these assets properly.

Soon after the acquisitions, Redgate set to work organizing the recordings and making them available for anyone to view, including those previously hosted behind a paywall. They also donated the SQL Saturday assets to the newly formed non-profit foundation to continue this popular local event. These were both significant, but there was more news on the way.

In April, Redgate’s Annabel Bradford announced that the 2021 PASS Data Community Summit would be held virtually in November. The event turned out to be a fantastic success with over 18,000 registrations, more than 400 sessions, $18,000 donated to charity from Redgate and AWS pre-cons, and a more diverse speaker lineup than the Summit has ever seen. However, the big star of the week was the Spatial.chat software used to provide an almost in-person feel. Attendees could join rooms based on interest, such as DE&I, karaoke, and more. Many said that the experience had that “hallway conversation” feel, and we heard from several folks on Twitter that it was the “best Summit ever!” Plans are underway for a hybrid Summit in 2022, and you can sign up for news about the event now.

There was more big news from Redgate in 2021. Simon Galbraith, co-founder and CEO, has decided to step back, and Jakub Lamik has taken over as the new CEO. Jakub was the Chief Product Officer for Redgate for several years and will guide the future of Redgate as it continues to grow.

Like any other year, Redgate invests in its software offerings. I’m especially excited about the new capabilities in SQL Monitor’s Estate Pages. On the DevOps front, Redgate combined Flyway deployment technology with Redgate version control and automation in the new Flyway Desktop. The product is available for Oracle and in preview for SQL Server with plans to support even more RDBMS in the future.

This year has been a momentous one for Redgate, and I look forward to what’s next.