Microsoft End of Life 2023
Microsoft calls its products “End of Life” when the Extended Support period comes to an end.
EOL 2023: Extended Support Ending in 2023
“All good things must come to an end” will ring loud and clear come October 2023. Like with all of Microsoft’s operating systems, Mainstream and Extended Support is provided by Microsoft for a period of time. Microsoft calls its products “End of Life” when the Extended Support period comes to an end. Microsoft will stop providing monitoring and updates which would address security vulnerabilities. Businesses and users who continue to use these products will no longer have any protection, putting their data at high risk. On top of that, most vendors, manufacturers, and developers will no longer invest resources to support their hardware/software on platforms and systems that Microsoft is no longer supporting.
Mainstream support is available for 5 years following the date of the product’s release. Microsoft continues to improve the system by supplying updates that fix any performance bugs that are reported. From time to time, Microsoft will release new features that enhance the system. These features are based on community and developer requests. On top of that, Microsoft will push out security updates that patch any security vulnerabilities that both in-house and third-party developers find.
After mainstream support ends, Microsoft begins a 5-year period of Extended Support for the product. From that point forward, Microsoft will only focus on providing updates that address security vulnerabilities or concerns. You will not see any new features or design changes. Lastly, warranty claims are no longer valid or accepted during the Extended Support period.
If desired, big corporations can purchase an Extended Support agreement with Microsoft. This contract ensures Microsoft will continue to provide performance and operational fixes/updates to systems. These Extended Support agreements are only available to purchase during a product’s Extended Support period. While these agreements are expensive, IT departments see value in keeping thousands of workstations operating smoothly. One annoying bug can be the equivalent of a wrench tossed into a well-oiled machine.
Why is this such a big deal?
In April 2023, Microsoft will be ending their Extended Support for Exchange Server 2013, followed by end of support for Windows Server 2012 in October 2023. That means any business or user actively using a workstation or server that is operating any of those three products/systems will immediately place their data at risk of theft, destruction, or ransom.
What risks should I be aware of?
Coastal Solutions is fully prepared to help migrate you to a newer operating system, new workstation, and/or new server. Our goal is to transition all of our clients to supported systems in a timely matter. That is why it is important that you begin working on a budget plan immediately. Waiting until the last few months could result in a disastrous scenario.
Microsoft’s Extended Support will end on the same day for everyone. Every business and user around the world will be transitioning at the same time. In the months leading up to April 2023, and even more-so in October 2023, replacement software and hardware orders will undoubtedly increase. We anticipate backorders and long shipping times due to the high demand. Coastal Solutions’ engineers will also be in high demand. Their time and availability will quickly be taken up as they work through everyone’s workstation and server replacement needs. To avoid placing your business, users, and customers at risk, start planning for EOL 2023 today!
Tell Me About My Options
Exchange Server 2013
End of Life: March 2023
Recommended Replacement: Office 365
Many customers still utilize on-premise email server which is provided by Microsoft’s Exchange Server 2013 product. Come March 2023, its Extended Support will also come to an end. From an IT perspective, Exchange Server 2013 coming end-of-life is the least worrisome of all the products. A lot of businesses have already transitioned their communications and collaboration needs to a cloud-based system, like Office 365. Businesses needing deep integration with third-party software, or those with very high-security needs, have upgraded their Exchange Servers to 2016. The migration between Exchange versions or to Office 365 is typically smooth and easy. Any business using Exchange Server 2013 for email or communication should highly consider Office 365.
Windows Server 2012/2012R2
End of Life: October 2023
Recommended Replacement: Windows Server 2022/Full M365 Platform
Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 are designed using the same core architecture of Windows 8. Microsoft typically releases a major server operating system shortly after releasing a major workstation operating system. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see Windows Server 2012/R2 on the same support time-frame as Windows 8.
Mayhem does not arise at the end of Extended Support for server operating systems as it does for workstations because business servers are normally replaced at a faster rate than workstations are. Servers are running 24/7 causing them to wear out much faster. When a business replaces a server, it typically does so using the latest server operating system in the market, however, the lack of proper budgeting and planning can cause some businesses to forgo regular server replacement plans. These are the businesses who are most at risk when a server operating system becomes end-of-life.
We recommend replacing your Server 2012/R2 with, you guessed it, Server 2022. The process for replacing Server 2022 can be complex. A server’s responsibilities and processes can result in a longer-than-average replacement process. Replacing a server with Windows Server 2022/R2 will typically require purchasing new hardware. Since server hardware undergoes much more use and wear, we recommend putting your business data and Server 2022 on hardware that will last you another 5-6 years.
Another option will be to migrate your entire server infrastructure to the M365 / Azure platforms. While there is less hardware to maintain, there are other costs involved with migrating your data to a completely cloud based infrastructure. Please feel free to reach out to us to discuss these options.
Over the next few weeks, we will contact you to provide a list of PCs and Servers that should be considered for replacement or upgrades. While there is still time before the end of support on these systems, we strongly suggest discussing the needed upgrades with us. We urge you to call us at 732-349-2340 or email us at sales@coastalsolutions.it to get started.
