Windows End Of Support

Windows End Of Support

Below are the Windows end of support dates for some Microsoft products. Make a note if you are running any of these products. If you are then it is worthwhile to put a plan in place to migrate onto a current version.

Once the products go end of support, it means the Microsoft won’t be providing any further support or security patches for them.

This is important because from a security perspective it makes them more attractive targets for hackers as they know that security vulnerabilities won’t be patched.

End Of Support Life Dates

SQL Server 2008                     9 July 2019 (already expired)

Windows 7                                14 January 2020

Windows Server 2008R2      14 January 2020

Exchange Server 2010           14 January 2020

SQL Server 2012                     12 July 2022

What Are Your Options?

The two main options are (a) upgrade to the later version of Windows, SQL or Exchange or (b) start moving your servers to the cloud.

Option (b) is probably a better idea if you currently have server hardware that is also close to expiry.

Windows End Of Support Plan For Windows Server 2008

The first step is to identify the workloads that the server is currently performing. Ask what role(s) does the server play in your organisation. Typical roles include domain controller, application server, terminal server, backup server or SQL server. Then each of the workloads needs to be considered to determine the best place to move the workloads to. Choices include moving to a cloud application SAAS, moving to an existing server (cloud or on-prem), a new server (on-prem) or a new server (cloud). Each option will have its own prox and cons, as well as costs associated with the service being offered.

If the main workload for the server is as an application server, does the application provider offer a cloud SAAS service? This removes the requirement for a server entirely. The software provider will need to migrate your data from the existing server to the SAAS environment. Once it is across then you will access your software and data from the cloud.

Some organisations may have some existing Windows server 2012 or 2016 with spare capacity in either their physical or virtual environments. If this is the case then you can migrate the workloads from the Windows server 2008 across. Sensible checks regarding availability of resources need to be carried out to ensure that the environment will be stable once the workloads are migrated.

If a new server environment is deemed to be the preferred option then you will need to decide whether to leave the server either On Premise or put it in the cloud. This will probably come down to where your current infrastructure is based and what your strategy is around the cloud.

An upgrade to Windows Server 2016 or 2019 will feature greater innovation, built-in security, and container support.

If you are not able to upgrade to the latest version of Windows server before the deadline you can rehost the workloads in Azure and get three years of Extended Security Updates at no additional charge. This option provides the benefits of providing more time to modernize on your terms and access to the security built into Azure with more than 70 compliance certifications.

Click here to download the Azure migration guide for Windows Server.

Windows End Of Support Plan For SQL Server 2008

Migrating SQL servers to Azure is slightly different since Azure provides a dedicated SQL database managed instance. This means that your SQL database resides on an optimised SQL platform without the server management overhead.

Click here to visit the Azure portal for SQL server migration.

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