Support for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 ended on the 9th of July 2019 and support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 is fast approaching on the 14th of January 2020.
Microsoft Lifecycle Policy offers 10 years of support (5 years of Mainstream Support and 5 years of Extended Support). After the end of the Extended Support period there will be no patches or security updates, exposing the affected businesses to significant security and compliance risks.
It is therefore not a question of ‘if you should upgrade’, but ‘when’ and ‘how’.
Microsoft is encouraging businesses to move these workloads to Azure, the Microsoft cloud, with an offer of 3 years Extended Security Updates for both SQL Server and Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, after the End of Support deadlines, included at no additional charge over the standard hosting costs. This is a very attractive offer that will appeal to a lot of business who need to buy themselves a bit more time on these platforms https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/announcing-new-options-for-sql-server-2008-and-windows-server-2008-end-of-support/.
If your business is running Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2, we will be in touch to discuss the upgrade options available.
