We’re grateful for the belief our clients have positioned in Home windows Server 2012/R2 as part of their organizations for the previous decade. With this launch of Home windows Server having launched 10 years in the past, it reaches finish of help on October tenth, 2023, per our 10-year lifecycle policy. After this date, no extra safety patches can be launched for Home windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. To remain protected and compliant, we needed to stipulate three choices for patrons from Azure.
Modernize with PaaS or improve to a more recent model in Azure
Modernization gives organizations with a extra future-proof resolution through the use of a cloud-first method or updating to a more recent model. One modernization possibility is transferring to platform-as-a-service (PaaS) options equivalent to Azure SQL Managed Instance or Azure App Service. By modernizing workloads to a PaaS resolution, clients can totally offload administration and patching duties within the cloud. This helps groups keep up-to-date, keep away from future end-of-support dates, and give attention to delivering revolutionary apps and experiences for his or her companies.
Alternatively, clients can migrate and improve their Home windows Server 2012/R2 with Azure Migrate, our free instrument for discovery, evaluation, and migration of workloads to Azure. With this function, organizations can now elect to maneuver their legacy functions and databases to a totally supported, appropriate, and compliant working system. This contains our newest launch in Windows Server 2022, which gives organizations with superior multi-layer safety, hybrid capabilities with Azure, and a versatile platform to modernize functions. Learn more about this feature of Azure Migrate.
Migrate to Azure totally free Prolonged Safety Updates
If organizations will not be capable of modernize Home windows Server 2012/R2 in time, they’ll use Extended Security Updates (ESUs), which give safety patches for as much as three years previous the top of help date.
When organizations migrate end-of-support workloads to Azure, they get free Prolonged Safety Updates. This contains choices equivalent to Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Dedicated Host, Azure VMware Solution, and Azure Stack HCI. Combining this with Azure Hybrid Benefit and consumption fashions equivalent to reserved instances or savings plan for compute permits much more financial savings in Azure for Home windows Server and SQL Server.
Organizations can get in-depth assets to assist them begin their cloud journey on Azure with Azure Migrate and Modernize & Azure Innovate—our new choices that present end-to-end help from migration and modernization to infusing the newest innovation in analytics and AI.
Keep protected in hybrid and multicloud environments with ESUs enabled by Azure Arc
For organizations who aren’t capable of modernize or migrate previous to the Home windows Server 2012/R2 finish of help date this October, they’ll defend their hybrid and multicloud workloads with ESUs enabled by Azure Arc. Listed here are the important thing advantages:
- Month-to-month pay-as-you-go: Activate and enroll from Azure to pay for safety updates on a month-to-month foundation, giving organizations extra flexibility emigrate and modernize to Azure on their phrases.
- Seamless supply: The enrollment of Prolonged Safety Updates on Azure Arc-enabled machines doesn’t require the acquisition or activation of keys. Furthermore, clients have the pliability to make use of Azure Update Manager or one other patching resolution of their option to obtain the precise patches.
- Arrange and stock your property: Achieve visibility and reporting throughout servers spanning your hybrid, multicloud, and edge infrastructure.
- Safety and compliance: Prolong Azure safety and governance providers equivalent to Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel to additional safe their infrastructure from cloud to edge and keep compliant with supported software program. ESUs enabled by Azure Arc additionally offers free entry to Azure Replace Supervisor, Machine Configuration, and Change Monitoring and Stock for additional automation and simpler supply of patches.
Connect to Azure Arc today to get began with ESUs enabled by Azure Arc or learn more here.
Put together for different finish of help dates
As organizations regularly modernize their property, there are a number of different finish of help dates to bear in mind for Home windows Server and SQL Server clients:
- Put together for SQL Server 2014 finish of help. Many Home windows Server clients typically run SQL Server for his or her databases, which additionally has some finish of help dates to pay attention to. SQL Server 2012 reached finish of help on July 12th, 2022, and the upcoming finish of help deadline is for SQL Server 2014, which reaches finish of help on July 9th, 2024. Organizations have the identical three choices outlined above to guard SQL Server 2014 workloads.
See the lifecycle of merchandise supported with Extended Security Updates here.
Begin modernizing for finish of help
Listed here are a number of key assets to be taught extra so that you may be ready for present and future finish of help eventualities:
