By now, you should’ve heard plenty about End of Life for Microsoft Windows 7 Server. You know – when all support will end, on January 14, 2020.
But did you know that support is ending for Microsoft Server 2008 and 2008 R2 as well?
End Of Life means no more bug fixes or security updates. Over time, the usability of Microsoft Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will degrade. There will be a loss of usability and increased vulnerability.
Unless you’re really bad at planning ahead, you’ve likely got some plan in place to upgrade your systems before January 14.
But if not? You’re not just risking the problems that come from a lack of support…
- No free security updates on-premises
- No non-security updates
- No free support options
- No online technical content update
What Should You Be Doing To Prepare For Microsoft Server End Of Life?
The simplest course of action is to start planning your move to one of the following:
- Microsoft Azure: Azure is Microsoft’s enterprise-grade cloud computing platform – you and your team can rely on this solution to help you can cut costs by hosting off-site and benefit from a totally scalable configuration that fits your needs. In addition to protecting you from an unsupported operating system, upgrading to Microsoft Azure will offer a number of benefits, such as three additional years of Critical and Important security updates at no additional charge, as well as the many features of Microsoft Azure.
- Windows Server/SQL Server: This option is ideal for businesses that want to remain on-premises. However, there isn’t a direct upgrade path without performing a clean install, which means you’ll need to upgrade to Windows Server 2012 first to preserve settings.
Need Assistance With End Of Life?
End Of Life is just a part of doing business – no matter what hardware or software you use, eventually it’ll reach the end of its life. Every Windows operating system has a lifecycle. It’s important that you stay up-to-date about essential End-of-Life dates.
This will help you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your software or hardware. Furthermore, we will help you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make changes to your other software or hardware.
If you need help in managing End Of Life for Microsoft Server 2008 and 2008 R2, allow our Norfolk IT company to assist – our team can help you build a plan for migrating to your new server operating system.