On January 14, 2020, Microsoft is ending support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The end of support for these products is a compelling reason to upgrade and migrate to Azure in and of itself, but there are other significant reasons and benefits to migrating.
1. Security & Compliance
Cyberthreats are a material risk to your business, costing on average $4 million per data breach incident[1]. Once support for older versions of Windows Server has ended, Microsoft will no longer issue security updates. This could potentially open companies of all sizes up to cyberattacks and/or ransomware attacks, such as the Eternal Blue exploit or NotPetya.
2. Turn On-prem Servers into an Azure Environment with Azure Stack
Cloud may be taking over infrastructures, but on-prem servers still have a place in the enterprise. There are many reasons why a hybrid environment may be best for an organization, including dependence on legacy on-prem apps that cannot realistically be migrated, significant investments in on-prem equipment, and compliance regulations that mandate certain workloads to be run on-prem.
3. Robust Integration with Microsoft’s Product Suite
Azure seamlessly integrates with Microsoft’s entire product suite. As a complement to Office 365’s infrastructure, Azure can help you build a more reliable system and can save you money in the long run.
4. Significant Cost Savings
Enterprises that move their Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 workloads to Azure enjoy three more years of extended security updates at no extra charge and are set up to upgrade when they are ready. They can save even more – up to 80% — by using their existing Windows Server licenses with Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows Server and Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances.
