Microsoft Ends Support for Windows Server 2012

If you have Windows Server 2012 or Windows R2 Server then it’s important to note that, after October this year, Microsoft is no longer going to be providing support for these systems. As a result, if you decide to go on using these servers beyond that date you could be opening yourself up to significant security risks. Given how vulnerable this could make your business, it’s important that you take steps now to move away from these servers well before the support from Microsoft stops.

All Microsoft products have a fixed lifecycle

There’s no specific reason for terminating support for these servers other than that they have come to the end of their lifecycle. This is something that happens with all Microsoft products and packages. It doesn’t mean that these older versions of its operating systems will stop working in October. However, it does mean that there will no longer be security patches and updates. This is crucial to note because it means that any future security vulnerabilities won’t be fixable. There are clear security risks inherent in this. Plus it could put your business in breach of compliance requirements and also at risk of data loss.

What can you do when support ends?

There are a number of different options:

• Migrate your 2012 servers to Microsoft Azure in order to receive Extended Security Updates and remain protected.
• Migrate your 2012 services to a more up to date version of Windows Server, such as Windows Server 2022.
• Switch to a cloud solution.
• Isolate your servers with no direct inbound or outgoing internet access. If you do need to retain the servers, doing this will help to minimise the potential risks once there are no more security updates.

What’s the right choice going to be for your business?

This is going to be a very individual decision but there are a number of different factors that you might want to bear in mind.

• Upgrading to new servers or operating systems can be a costly process and all of the options above are going to come with a different price tag. It’s better to go through your choices now than be forced into an expensive last minute fix.
• What kind of capacity does your existing hardware offer and which of the options above could be accommodated without extra expense? If you don’t review hardware capacity before installing a new operating system then you may find yourself with server and software failures that could be very problematic.
• Make sure that whatever option you choose isn’t going to cause compatibility issues with third party software packages.
• Don’t put your business at risk. Whatever constraints you face, remember that this change is going to mean a huge increase in vulnerability for your business. Upgrading will not only ensure security but could also offer improvements in performance and innovation too.

When Microsoft ends support for Windows 2012 servers it’s essential for every business using them to have an alternative plan in place.

If you’re yet to come up with a plan to migrate your software, contact us today to see how we can help you.