Windows Server is used to host many business-critical services and applications, and whilst innovation enables newer and more improved versions of Windows Server to be released, support for older versions ends as outlined in the Microsoft product roadmap.

Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Extended Support will end on October 10, 2023, and after this date these products will no longer receive critical security updates or bug fixes which may lead to potential compliance gaps and exposed vulnerabilities for workloads that still rely on these versions.

If you wish to keep your on-premises servers running and still want to receive bug fixes and security updates, Microsoft and Utilize recommend upgrading to a more recent and supported version of Windows Server.

If you need to continue running Windows 2012 due to legacy application requirements, Microsoft and Utilize recommend migrating your workloads to Azure Virtual Machines, which will provide you with extended security updates for three years after the end of support at no additional cost.

When moving to Azure, businesses benefit from a variety of compliance certifications, infrastructure optimisation and built-in multi-layered security controls.

Below we examine some of the additional business benefits that making the move to Azure can bring:

Scalability: Azure allows organisations to scale their resources up or down as needed. You only pay for what you use which is beneficial for organisations that experience fluctuating workloads.

Flexibility: Azure offers a wide range of services, including virtual machines, storage, databases, and more, allowing you to choose the best options for your specific needs.

Cost savings: By using Azure, organisations can reduce their capital expenditures on hardware and software and instead pay for resources on a pay-as-you-go basis. This can lead to cost savings over time.

Improved security: Azure has several built-in security features, such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, and compliance support, that can help to protect your data and meet regulatory requirements.

High availability: Azure offers several options for ensuring high availability of resources, such as load balancing and automatic failover. This can help ensure your business’s services are always available to your customers.

Better collaboration: Azure works with tools such as Office 365, that can help organisations collaborate more effectively, both internally and externally.

Disaster recovery: Azure provides several options for disaster recovery such as Azure Site Recovery, Azure Backup, and Azure Arc. This way you can have a secondary location to recover your data and services and be able to easily recover them in case of a disaster.

Automation: Azure provides a number of tools and services that will enable your business to automate various IT processes, such as infrastructure provisioning, software deployment, and monitoring.

Global accessibility: Azure has data centres all around the world, which means that your business can easily access and use its resources from anywhere.

Environment friendly: Azure is one of the first Cloud providers to be carbon neutral and offer clean energy options. Eco-friendly options such as Azure Arc for Kubernetes and Azure Policy ensures your infrastructure is running in the most energy-efficient and sustainable way.

As trusted Microsoft partners and Azure Specialists, Utilize can help you to review your options and migrate or upgrade your workloads to facilitate your digital transition seamlessly.

Email us today and speak to a member of our team by clicking here.

You can read more on Windows Server end of support here.