What does Windows Server 2008 end of support mean for customers?

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It’s been about a year since Microsoft^® stopped supporting Windows Server^® 2008 and 2008 R2. In fact, the end of support (EOS) deadline was January 2020. Many customers took the opportunity to upgrade to Windows Server 2019 prior to the deadline (or within the last 12 months), but not all did. The one-year anniversary is a good excuse to check back in with any of your customers who are running an unsupported operating system (OS) and remind them of the three major drawbacks of doing so. These include:

• Security problems: Cyberthreats are rapidly multiplying and increasing in sophistication. Older OSs simply aren’t built to combat modern cybersecurity threats. In addition, Microsoft hasn’t provided any security (or other) updates for Windows Server 2008 since last January. Those two facts can leave a business wide open to cyberthreats.
• Higher costs: The cost of supporting an outdated OS is higher—if you can get support for it. Microsoft stopped supporting Windows Server 2008 about a year ago, which means finding qualified support options will only get more difficult and more expensive as time goes by.
• Limited innovation: Many applications are no longer supported on older OSs after EOS. In addition, at over a decade old, Windows Server 2008 doesn’t support many of the modern technologies a business needs to thrive, like containers and Hybrid Cloud.

Now let’s take a look at how upgrading to new HPE ProLiant Gen10 servers with Windows Server 2019 turns those disadvantages into advantages.

Security solutions: Both HPE ProLiant Gen10 servers and Windows Server 2019 offer advanced data protection features that work together to help customers prevent, detect, and recover from security attacks. HPE ProLiant Gen10 server security starts with our secure supply chain and HPE silicon root of trust. We also provide exclusive runtime attack detection and automatic recovery. Windows Server 2019 also includes several new security features that work together with HPE ProLiant to keep your data safe. For example, Windows Server 2019 helps protect administrator credentials to prevent breaches, locks down devices against malware attacks, and protects virtual workloads from unauthorized access.

Lower costs/better efficiency: Modern, supported HPE and Microsoft solutions lower costs. For example, Windows Server 2019 supports containers, so you can run more applications on the same number of servers. Plus, HPE OEM Windows Server 2019 licenses are affordable, customized, and optimized for HPE ProLiant servers. And Windows Server 2019 supports new-generation HPE ProLiant Gen10 server technology like persistent memory, which drastically improves application performance.

A platform built for innovation: Once a customer has upgraded to HPE ProLiant Gen10 servers with Windows Server 2019, it’s fairly simple to migrate supported applications by following the software vendor’s guidance. If your customer is interested in Hybrid Cloud, you can let them know that only Microsoft offers consistent hybrid services, with HPE ProLiant Gen10 features that bridge on-premises environments with Microsoft Azure^® services for seamless Hybrid Cloud. And HPE ProLiant Gen10 servers with Windows Server 2019 are built for containers, an innovative technology that enables running more applications on the same number of servers.

In addition to all these benefits, your customers will enjoy next-level computing speeds and more storage capacity, so they can do more, faster than ever. And to make upgrading even simpler, HPE is your single point of purchase, contact, and accountability for hardware and software support when purchasing HPE OEM Windows Server licenses along with a new HPE ProLiant Gen10 server.

If your customers need help with developing an upgrade path, HPE suggests the following transition paths to Windows Server 2019:

Windows Server 2008 Foundation migrate to Windows Server 2019 Essentials

Windows Server 2008 Enterprise migrate to Windows Server 2019 Standard

It’s long past time for your customers to start planning a migration to Windows Server 2019 on HPE ProLiant Gen10. Call on your customers to let them know the downside of ignoring EOS, and the upside of upgrading.

Learn more: Still running Windows Server 2008 after end of support?