Windows Server 2012 End of Support
It is less than a year until Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 operating system reaches its end of life. If any of your business systems run on this OS, then you have a decision to make.
The official end of support date for Windows Server 2012 is 10th October, 2023. If you have not yet made any plans to transition to Azure, or another solution, now is the time to start.
Windows Server End of Life Details
Originally released in 2012, Windows Server 2012 has been in service for ten years. It reached its mainstream end date over four years ago, on the 9th October, 2018.
As a standard end of life procedure from Microsoft, after the 10th October 2023 you will no longer receive regular patches or security updates, leaving your business exposed to significant risk as well as potentially lead to increased cyber insurance costs.
What Can You do?
If you are considering your options, it’s worth keeping in mind that if you migrate to Azure with an existing Windows 2012R2 server you automatically get access to extended support from Microsoft via their Extended Security Update (ESU). So if time is an issue to do a full migration, the Azure path is still worth consideration.
If you have legacy applications that you are concerned about, you can address these with Azure Virtual Desktop, which will allow you to migrate to Azure with peace of mind.
Should you really need more time – Microsoft does have the previously mentioned ESU that will give you and additional three years of support. After this date, there is no option to get support at all. As such, ESU will be available for Win Server 2012 until the 13th October, 2026.
Microsoft Statement
In an announcement earlier this year, Microsoft made the following recommendation: “Microsoft recommends customers migrate applications and workloads to Azure to run securely. Azure SQL Managed Instance is fully managed and always updated (PaaS). Customers can also lift-and-shift to Azure Virtual Machines, including Azure Dedicated Host, Azure VMware Solution, and Azure Stack (Hub, HCI, Edge), to get three additional years of extended security updates at no cost.”
“Customers needing an on-premises solution may upgrade to Windows Server 2022 and SQL Server 2019. Eligible customers with Software Assurance under an Enterprise Agreement may also purchase ESUs (Extended Security Update) for Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 and SQL Server 2012,” they added.
Unity is here to help
If you want help or advice around this end of support or would like to discuss this with one of our specialists, please contact us and we will be happy to talk through your options.