For more than 20 years, many organizations have relied on Windows server as the operating system of choice for their workloads – but Microsoft is ending extended support and security updates for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 on January 14, 2020, which is right around the corner. This could be time to evaluate new options that could help your organization to innovate and modernize with the cloud.
What does end of support mean for you?
The end of security updates for Windows Server 2008 will leave your data vulnerable to potential hackers and malware. Outdated systems may fail to comply with regulatory standards like GDPR, which could lead to not only heavy penalties and fines, but also eroded customer trust. Maintenance costs are also likely to increase, as your IT staff will require additional time and resources to manage legacy systems.
Three reasons to migrate your 2008 server applications to Azure
1. Innovation
End of support isn’t all doom and gloom; the silver lining is an opportunity to modernize your IT infrastructure and consider new technology options, allowing your organization to build a competitive advantage and improve customer experience. Once your app is on Azure, you can take advantage of innovative cloud services that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to help you change the way you interact with customers. These might include image-processing algorithms, voice verification, audio-to-text conversion, natural language processing, and other Azure Cognitive Services.
2. Reduce Costs
With Azure, you can expect market-leading pricing and deployment flexibility. Only Azure offers free Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2. Get to know available discounts and pricing offers and you can significantly reduce cloud costs. Reserved instances, also known as RIs, enable significant savings when you pre-purchase cloud compute resources for one- or three-year periods. You can also reduce IT overhead and maintenance costs by moving line-of-business applications built on older versions of Windows Server and SQL Server to the latest versions— significantly reducing the work required to operate, secure, and maintain these applications.
3. Security and Compliance
A few months to plan and migrate 2008 applications and data to Azure may be daunting, but rehost Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 workloads to Azure and get three years of Extended Security Updates at no additional charge and upgrade to a current version when ready. This option enables you to modernize your infrastructure on your own terms and at a less frantic pace. Strengthen your security posture and benefit from more than 70 compliance certifications already built into Azure. Avoid penalties and fines, while retaining customer trust with a modern, compliant IT system.
Atmosera’s Microsoft-certified experts are here to help you seamlessly migrate your Windows Server 2008 environment to Azure without disruptions to your business.