On July 9, 2019, Microsoft will be ending support for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2. This means that there will no longer be support or security updates, possibly leaving your organization exposed to security issues. Here, Dan Wood shows you how you can best prepare for end of support.

For the past few years, Microsoft has been doing their best to get the word out that support for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 is coming to an end.

If you are now just hearing it, I have some bad news for you; Support for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 is coming to an end on July 9, 2019.

How will SQL 2008 EOS impact you?

What does “end of support” mean and how will it impact you?

To put it simply, end of support means that Microsoft will no longer provide mainstream support or issue security updates for products that are not actively being supported.

If a production issue occurs in which Microsoft support is needed, it probably will not be available. The exception is if your organization has paid for extended support. However, extended support is very expensive.

Support should not be your only concern. The issue of security fixes also becomes critical. Since Microsoft will no longer issue security updates, customers who choose not to upgrade or pay for extended support could face serious security and data loss risks.

Find out more about our SQL Server Economics Assessment

What are your options?

If you have business-critical applications that use SQL Server 2008 or 2008 R2 and have procrastinated, you have little time to address the issue.

So, with limited time to move, what are your options?

The best option would be to upgrade your SQL Servers. However, that isn’t always an option due to application dependencies and some significant changes to code standards between SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2012. The time to refactor all your code and make the deadline probably doesn’t exist.

The other option is kind of a lifebuoy that Microsoft has thrown to their customers; move your servers to Azure. Moving your SQL Server 2008/R2 servers to an Azure VM gets you three more years of support for no additional cost.

• That is three years to plan and refactor
• Three years to twilight or upgrade old applications.
• Three years to create and execute a plan to move the data to a flexible, scalable service such as Azure SQL DB.

At 10th Magnitude, we have the experience and capability to help you get through the process of a SQL Server migration. Whether the target is a SQL Server VM or one of the SQL Server services, we can help.

Perhaps, this is just the catalyst you have been looking for to explore Platform as a Service (PaaS) options. 10th Magnitude helps customers to evaluate IaaS and PaaS based data solutions using our 10vū™ suite of services.

We work with business and data owners to prioritize systems and factor in cost, scalability, failover, and especially seasonality.

When adding in DevOps methodologies and modern architecture, including containers and microservices, we are often able to help customers find a better fit for their business by harnessing the PaaS options available in Azure.

Maybe you are looking for ways to further leverage investments in Linux? Did you know that you can now run SQL Server on Linux in an Azure VM? we are helping large and small enterprises to move Linux and Windows workloads to Azure.

Having a heterogeneous OS environment operating all within the Azure ecosystem is providing customers with improved management, scale, and labor cost opportunities.

Find out more about our SQL Server Economics Assessment

What should your next step be?

SQL 2008 End of Support is almost here, but you do have options.

If you know you have to make the move but don’t know what to do, it’s time to get in touch. The window is closing so don’t waste another minute.

You might be looking to reduce risk or plan on using SQL end of life as a chance to spark innovation. Either way, we’re here to help.

We have years of experience helping organizations like yours plan and implement using new tech solutions like SQL Server.

If 10th Magnitude sounds like a partner you can trust, get started with your SQL Server Economic Assessment