In a large multi-datacenter environment the ability to setup SQL Server High Availability, Mirroring, and Log shipping scenarios can be a very tedious and manual process that can require many DBA’s and a combined hundreds of man-hours to setup and configure Business Continuity (BCP) and deployment scenarios for hundreds of SQL servers.
Before the Auto-mirror process, all of the database administrators (FTE’s and vendors) would get together and manually configure the High availability aspect of SQL Servers in our Online Services Org (namely AdCenter), this was prone to tedious and human error that could cost the business money should this fail to deployed and configured improperly due to human error.
The Auto-Mirror process reduces the human error and man-hours needed to configure the high availability (SQL Mirrors and Log shipping) saving several hundreds of hours for every deployment.
This solution was submitted to the US Patent and Trade Office (PTO) for a patent application but in the end Microsoft. elected to publish this solution as a "Defensive Publication".