In January 2020, Microsoft will be ending support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 (January 14th, 2020). Here’s why that’s happening, and what you can do about it.

It may not seem that long ago, but from a business-technology standpoint, 2008 was a different world.

64-bit computing was a shiny new prospect. Analytics was in its earliest stages. CIOs weren’t raving about the cloud, or AI, or Agile – they were raving about enterprise applications like ERP, SCM, and CRM, and about the latest developments in server and storage technologies.

It was a time when business priorities and processes were much more scaled down. Back when the job of an operating system was really just to manage and simplify, not to fuel game-changing innovation. 

Windows 7 Support Ends

All of this is why Microsoft are about to end support for Windows Server 2008, the last 32-bit Windows server operating system, and Windows 7 the popular Operating System for Windows PC’s. It means you’ll stop getting security updates for both products as soon as the dates roll over, plus any other types of support, like automatic fixes and technical assistance.

It also means your infrastructure will essentially become ‘open’ – vulnerable to everything from ransomware attacks to compliance breaches – and there’ll be no one around to warn you when those things are coming.

Microsoft are recommending replacing Windows 7 hardware (such as laptops and desktops) to Windows 10 hardware. The cost of this purchase could be significant depending on the size of your organisation.

So what now?

There are three options from which you can choose, and each has a different impact on your business...

• Do nothing
• Upgrade on premises
• Migrate to the cloud (using a specialist such as Cobry)

The constant pace of change in technology and the improvement in connectivity allied to the increasingly agile nature of workforces opens up new worlds of possibilities but keeping up with this can be a very expensive business especially if you are not leveraging the power of the cloud. 

Here’s why you should -

• Security patching, maintenance, and monitoring – Utilising the cloud, management of the deployment and configuration of your organisation to store data at scale and ensure security protocols are deployed.
• Backups and disaster recovery –  In a traditional on-premise environment, organisations need to build or purchase tooling to support a backup and recovery function. In the cloud, this can be included in the service and have defined processes for recovering functionality.
• Scalability and fault tolerance – Cloud technology can make it easy to scale databases vertically and horizontally without investing in new hardware. This allows customers to scale their server requirements to their needs and only pay for the licenses they are using.
• Flexible Workforce - If appropriate, free your team members to work from anywhere, using familiar tools and increasing collaboration whilst keeping your organisation secure through security protocols such as 2 Factor Authentication.

G Suite will work with existing hardware such as PC’s and Macs but as these have to be replaced, Chromebooks, could takeover with potential savings in costs subject to specifications required.

Having services come to end of life can be challenging but can also spark opportunities to bring more flexible and agile solutions into organisations.

The Cloud

As outlined above, there has not been a better time to migrate and modernise legacy systems in the cloud. Customers can expect to gain operational efficiency, increased collaboration between employees whilst reducing infrastructure and licensing costs, and empower their teams with the tools they need to deliver value faster to the business.  

Contact

If you would like to find out more on how to realise the potential in your business by utilising Cloud technology and in particular G Suite, get in touch with us at [email protected], or pop your email down below and we would be delighted to have a chat.