Earlier this year, Microsoft reminded customers that the extended support for all versions of Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will end on 10 October. Although support originally ended in 2018, Microsoft had extended it for five years to allow customers to migrate across to newer Windows Server versions. But from October this year, all technical support and bug fixes for new issues will end completely. That’s important because it will leave anyone still using Windows Server 2012 highly vulnerable. And when we say vulnerable, we mean vulnerable.
In 2017, the NHS was floored by the WannaCry attack – ransomware that arrived via the Microsoft Server Message Block 1.0 and spread across a network of devices running supported but unpatched versions of Windows 7. Anyone running unsupported server infrastructure – like Windows Server 12 after 10 October – is at a vastly increased risk of these kinds of cyberattacks, as well as issues that may cause unexpected downtime or usability issues.
What to do now if you are running Windows Server 2012
It’s time to migrate. It can take a couple of months to choose the right newer alternative and move across, so don’t leave it too late. The UK Government’s NCSC has published guidance on how to manage obsolete products and specifies that you should not be running unsupported tech in its Cyber Essentials certification.
As part of migration, you have a pivotal choice to make: whether to upgrade to a newer server product to continue on-prem, or to transition to the Cloud. By and large, we recommend moving to the Cloud. SaaS products held in the Cloud mitigate much of the risk of out-of-date software, services and infrastructure as that’s managed continually for you. However, we know some types of business will need to retain some form of traditional server presence. Architects, for instance, need to maintain a library of technical documents and drawings, which take up significant storage space and need to be held for a statutory minimum amount of time to satisfy compliance requirements.
Ask questions and be sure
If you’re uncertain about what you need, whether Cloud can work for you, or the work associated with migration, we’d love to talk to you. We offer private datacenter hosting, in addition to being experts at managing the major Cloud services and on-prem infrastructure. And, as we work with plenty of regulated SMEs, we know what it takes to meet most data security requirements. We’ll help you get it right.
If you’re a Neos-IT client and we know you’re running Windows Server 12, we’ll be speaking to you about this very soon.