Crayon Software Expert Updates – End of Support 2008 & 2008 R2

Crayon updates on End of Support SQL, Windows Server 2008 & 2008 R2 options

A lot of customers have been holding on server investments as they decide to embrace digital transformation.

Microsoft announced the end of support dates for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 on July 9 2019, and for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 on January 14 2020.

As per the policy, after the End of Support period there will be no patches or security updates. This may cause security and compliance issues and expose customers’ applications and business to serious security risks. Cyber-attacks have become more sophisticated with attackers using their tactics to exploit vulnerabilities, such as malware, ransomware and social engineering. (as in case of Petya, WannaCry and NotPetya).

Regulatory pressures on cybersecurity are demanding and  risk oversight is strictly a No-No. The CISO’s continuously institute measures to be on guard as suspicious activities threaten standard business practices to ensure they reduce the risk of attacks and minimize financial and operational impacts. 

Why should you care about Azure ?

• You pay only for what you use, scale up or down at anytime. 
• Take advantage of significant savings when you sign up for 1 or 3-year commitments and get predictable pricing. 
• Subscription licensing lets you run software in Azure or in your own datacenter and includes upgrades to new versions. 
• Applications can be moved with little or no code change. 
• Aside from the additional security guarantees, there are a range of performance enhancements and cost savings to be made by using newer technology. 
• Azure is productive, secure, and cost-effective cloud for SMBs Windows Server and SQL Server.

Many organizations are running workloads on Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2. Customers can continue to use Windows Server 2008 R2 safely in their environment’s architecture, at least until the extended support expiration date. 

While a lot of customers have started their journey, there are a lot of customers are challenged to upgrade cause the applications needs to run on databases powered by older version of SQL Server.  

What are the options ? 

There are 3 options to upgrade to the latest version of software to help reduce security risks and continue to get regular security updates. 

1. Migrate to Azure SQL database managed instance (SQL Database MI) – PaaS option –
2. Migrate to Azure SQL VM – IaaS option
3. Stay on-premise and upgrade 
   

Why Azure SQL Database Managed Instance? 

Managed Instance is an instance-scoped deployment option in SQL Database that provides the broadest SQL Server engine compatibility, so Customers can migrate their SQL Server databases without re-architecting their apps. Customers can also maximize their on-premises license investments for savings of up to 55% on Managed Instance with Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server.

Designed for mission-critical business apps with high I/O requirements, Business Critical provides faster storage performance and supports high availability with the highest level of storage and compute redundancy. 

For SQL Server, we at Crayon recommend customers consider migration to Azure SQL Database Managed Instance.  Azure SQL Database Managed Instance is a new service in Azure providing near 100% compatibility with SQL Server on-premises. Managed Instance provides built-in HA/DR capabilities plus intelligent performance features and the ability to scale on the fly. Managed Instance also provides a version-less experience that takes away the need for manual security patching and upgrades.

Extended Security Updates for on-premises environments: 

Extended Security Updates will also be available for workloads running on-premises or in a hosting environment. Customers running Windows Server or SQL Server under licenses with active Software Assurance or Subscription licenses under an Enterprise Agreement enrollment are eligible to purchase Extended Security Updates annually for three years after End of Support. Customers can purchase Extended Security Updates for only the servers they need to cover.

In a lot of cases customers are reluctant to upgrade cause the applications needs to run on databases powered by older version of SQL Server. On the other hand, applications can be moved with little or no code change. And aside from the additional security guarantees, there are a range of performance enhancements and cost savings to be made by using newer technology. Microsoft is offering three years of extended security updates at no additional charge. This gives us time to migrate workloads to Azure and then upgrade to a newer version.

What Next ?

The first step is to decide which migration path you want to take. The team Licensing specialists & Cloud architects at Crayon Software Experts are available to support in developing your migration and help you choose the right strategy. It depends which solution is the right approach for organizations.  

Crayon Software Experts are trusted and certified Microsoft Gold partners. The team of licensing experts, cloud analysts and architects can take a look at your existing environment to identify affected workloads and offer best possible recommendations.

Crayon also has expertise to migrate all, some, or none of your workloads to Microsoft Azure and still make sure you are secure, complaint and at pace with the organization on this journey to digitally transform. Reach us on marketing.in@crayon.com and we will be happy to share more details

About Crayon

Crayon, global leader in IT and digital transformation services and the largest independent ‘cloud economics’ practice, strongly believe in “Pay-per-usage” model — organizations must pay for the IT resources they actually need. Crayon is the most reliable and a trusted technical advisor for many of the world’s leading organizations. Through unique people, tools and systems, the company ensures the best ROI from complex technology investments.

Crayon — specialists in Software Volume Licensing, Cloud Analytics and Associated Consulting Services, is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices around the world. For more information, visit: www.crayon.com