Microsoft Ending Support for Major OS Titles

Windows is the most popular operating system in the world, and as such, developers are always hard at work on the next new version of the OS. However, organizations are often stuck in a tricky situation whenever end of support occurs for any popular operating system. When your reliable technology solutions finally stop receiving updates and patches, what do you do? Well, users of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will have to answer this question next January.

The end of life date for these software solutions has been announced as January 14, 2020. If your business uses these solutions, it’s imperative that you have a strategy in place to move away from them and embrace more up-to-date software solutions. Failing to do so will mean running your business without protection from threats such as viruses and malware created by hackers. Let’s take a look at these two major software titles that are losing support in the near future.

Windows 7
One of Microsoft’s most popular operating systems and software titles even now, Windows 7 will be losing support. Microsoft has initiated a major ad campaign to inform people of how to upgrade away from Windows 7 as soon as possible, but what these organizations don’t always anticipate is that relying on this software up until the end of support date means that it can be a serious expense and a time-consuming process to move away from this operating system. This issue is only exacerbated by the number of workstations your business has, meaning that it’s imperative to determine a plan of sorts before your time runs out.

The clear option is to upgrade to Windows 10, but we recommend working with a professional IT consultant to determine what the best path forward is for your business. Our staff can help you make the best choice for your infrastructure well ahead of the end of support date.

Microsoft has also launched the Microsoft 365 service to get the millions of Windows 7 users off the platform before the end of support date. We can help you determine the pricing of Microsoft’s offerings, including whether a cloud-hosted virtual desktop solution with OneDrive, Outlook, and Office 365 support is right for your business.

It doesn’t matter which choice your business makes, as long as you make it as soon as possible. Come January 14, 2020, PCs running Windows 7 that aren’t the Pro or Enterprise versions will stop receiving support for any price. Extended security updates are available at a premium price for those who have Pro and Enterprise, but the support is offered per license, meaning that it will be quite pricey.

Windows Server 2008 R2
In January 2020, Microsoft will be retiring the entire Windows Server 2008 suite. If your business utilizes Windows Server R2 for data and application hosting, you will need to have a plan in place to upgrade prior to the end of support date. Just like Windows 7, Microsoft will stop offering security patches and updates to Windows Server 2008 R2, meaning that there is a very real possibility that your organization could go without security updates if you fail to upgrade.

Microsoft has since released two new versions of the Windows Server software, as well as implemented a cloud-based option in Azure. It might be able to help you save money with cloud-based server management, but you won’t know for sure if it’s the right call to make without talking to the IT professionals at Network Solutions Unlimited.

To learn more about how you can get ready for these important end of support dates, be sure to contact Network Solutions Unlimited at (217) 428-6449.