Are you ready for support for Windows Server 2008 to end in January of 2020?
If your organization is still running Windows Server 2008 on any machines, you likely are aware of the January 14, 2020 deadline for the end of support. This means that starting in 2020, Microsoft will no longer be offering security updates for Windows Server 2008, which opens your organization up to significant vulnerabilities if you don’t upgrade before that date. Because you will be forced to upgrade, it may also be a good time to take a look at your entire infrastructure to see if there are any areas where you can leverage the cloud to modernize how applications are run and housed within your organization.
What are my options when it comes to moving my Windows Server workloads?
There are primarily two different ways you can handle migrating your Windows Server 2008 workloads to a more up to date infrastructure. The first option is to keep your current architecture the same and upgrade your servers to Windows Server 2016. This allows you to continue gaining access to a variety of cloud-based resources and ensure you’re DevOps ready, without completely migrating your infrastructure to the cloud.
The other option is to use this opportunity to move your existing server architecture to the cloud and use the wide array of offerings from Microsoft Azure to eliminate the need for costly on-premises hardware.
Use Azure VMs with Windows Server Containers
While a more drastic change than simply upgrading to Windows Server 2016, gaining access to Azure can allow you to migrate all your existing workloads to the cloud. This allows you to eliminate the need for costly server hardware and network infrastructure. Also, you instantly have access to world-class cloud infrastructure in Azure that allows for multiple redundant data centers located across the world.
Using Azure VMs also allows you and your team to access your servers from anywhere, provided that you have an internet connection. Imagine being able to check in on your server workloads from anywhere, as opposed to having to access your on-premises server directly.
Business as usual with Windows Server 2016
While there may not be quite as much flexibility with simply upgrading to Windows Server 2016, you still do gain access to the cloud and ensure your infrastructure is DevOps ready. In addition, the upgrade process should be fairly straightforward because all you’re really doing is upgrading your OS to Windows Server 2016. It’s important to keep in mind that you’ll also likely need to upgrade to Windows SQL Server 2016-2017 to ensure any databases you’re running will work properly with Windows Server 2016.
Mark Your Calendar for January 2020
Whether you plan to move completely to the cloud, or you’re simply looking to upgrade your on-premises version of Windows Server, it’s critical that you keep the January 14, 2020 deadline in mind as you plan for your IT expenditures over the next year. It’s best to make the change well before the deadline so that you can spot and respond to any issues that may arise during the migration.
Contact MessageOps if you need help upgrading your Windows Server Workloads
If you’re still on the fence as to whether you want to continue using an on-premises version of Windows Server, or if you’re ready to use this time to migrate your server workloads to the cloud, feel free to reach out to our team at MessageOps. We’ll be happy to take a look at your current server workloads and offer our advice as to which option may work better for you and your team.
Get our updates straight to your inbox!
Sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss any of our new content.