Don’t get caught out on January 14, 2020, when support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will come to an end. That means the end of regular security updates which will expose your infrastructure and applications to the latest Cyber threats. By migrating to Azure you will benefit from three years of free security updates after end of support as well as accelerated functionality and cost savings.
How Optimising IT can help
Optimising IT can support you to seamlessly migrate to Microsoft Azure, enabling you to benefit from greater compliance, scalability, storage and ongoing security updates to help protect you from the latest Cyber threats.
Doing nothing isn’t an option, as your organisation will have a much higher exposure to Cyber threats. Your business could also be an easy target for malicious actors who actively look for organisations with out-of-date and unsupported software.
6 Reasons to migrate your Windows 2008 Server applications to Azure now
Migrate your Windows Server and SQL Server applications to Azure to benefit from increased scalability with improved cost savings and greater security:
- Flexibility: Azure provides flexibility when it comes to functionality to scale with your business
- Agility: Azure is known for its fast deployment, operation and scalability and is the most up-to-date cloud technology
- Compliance: For the finance and legal sectors, Azure stores data in compliance with the latest regulations and has solid security credentials
- Fast Storage: Known to have several data centres, Azure can deliver content faster, store any data and share across virtual machines at a reliable and faster rate – delivering optimum user experience. Boasting 80-85% less hardware resource needed
- Enhanced Security: Benefit from free extended security updates for 3 more years after end of support. Data stored on Azure is protected by the spy-movie environment, with data centres comprising of two-tier authentication, proxy card access readers, hand geometry biometric readers, global incident response team. Significantly reducing your risk to being hacked. Software updates are automated and disaster recovery capabilities such as regional/global failover options; rolling reboots, and hot/cold standby modes against disasters
- Powerful Analytics: Business intelligence leads to new opportunities and greater business insight, you’ll benefit from built-in analytics support, machine learning, Stream and Cortana analytics
Our Approach and Expertise
Optimising IT have delivered a range of migration and upgrade strategies, and depending on your organisations needs and requirements, one of the following four options may be appropriate:
Upgrade to a later Windows server platform
If you have relatively new hardware, this may be the best option, however, there is no direct upgrade path from Server 2008 to Server 2019, so a clean installation and data application restore is the approach here. Your account also needs to be taken on if your existing applications will work with Server 2019.
Migrate server 2008 to Azure
A popular option is to move your Windows 2008 server to the Microsoft Azure platform. This enables you to keep your 2008 server and application stack intact. Taking this option also means you benefit from a further 3 years of security updates for server 2008 and allows time for a gradual migration to new application versions or delivery approaches. Consideration here needs to be given to connectivity from your organisation’s locations and any remote access requirements. There are also the monthly hosting fees to consider.
Move to a Cloud-based environment
By far the most popular option, this is a move to a ‘modern desktop’ environment, utilising Office 365 for office productivity and Azure AD + InTune for user and device management. This can be a big change, but for those organisations already operating in a hybrid environment, for example those with Office 365 for email or with the primary line of business application, for instance a CRM hosted by a third party, this represents a good, modern approach which will provide the flexibility and capability most organisations need moving forward.
Hybrid approach
For some organisations, a full modern desktop experience isn’t yet possible due to legacy software applications, often in manufacturing, automotive and some finance systems where there is no modern cloud equivalent. For those customers, we have created a hybrid environment using a combination of application or server transition to Azure based servers, with Office 365 and Azure AD used to provision most core business functions.
Azure provides more than 90 compliance offerings.
Every day 3,500 Microsoft Cyber-security professionals help to protect your organisation.
Azure has 54 global regions across 140 countries, offering more than any other cloud provider.
Optimising IT have been helping customers modernise their IT environments since 2013 with a focus on the right blend of technology, process and people for your organisation. We ensure that your IT environment maximises business benefit and won’t hold you back, whilst helping to keep your organisation and data safe and secure. Call us on (0)1242 505 470 to discuss your migration requirements with us before January 14th, 2020.
Don’t forget about Windows 7 end of life on January 14th 2020; discover how we can help you to upgrade to Windows 10.
