SQL Server & Windows Server 2008 End of Life

July 9, 2019 (SQL Server 2008) & January 14, 2020 (Windows Server 2008). These are the deadlines for the final security updates.

Microsoft includes a minimum 10 years of support with their software (5 years mainstream/5 years extended). We can’t believe it’s already been that long either. You can read more about Microsoft’s Lifecycle Policy here.

The Threat is Real

As you may know, there is a constant battle behind the scenes to secure data and apps within a business framework. There is an unfathomable amount of traffic on the web and new threats are being released every day. The best thing you could do is to make sure you install updates as soon as they are available.

Security updates are a vital piece of your armor when protecting your data and applications from online threats. Without them, you leave your business wide open to attack. No, you’re not going to get hacked immediately after support stops, but the risks are certainly amplified. Ultimately, as we said in our Windows 7 EOL post, it is up to you to determine whether you want to upgrade or not.

What Are My Options?

We understand that recreating your business infrastructure is probably the last thing on your agenda. Luckily, Microsoft has provided us with this handy upgrade paths tool to illustrate to you the possible upgrade paths for on-premise solutions. In-place upgrades help retain already created services and roles while migrating you to a new operating system platform.