Act now! Migrate your customers running Windows Server and SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 to Azure

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[caption id="attachment_7205" align="alignnone" width="300"] Windows Server 2008 R2 End of Support[/caption]

 

End of support is fast approaching for Windows Server and SQL Server 2008/2008 R2. This is a significant opportunity for our partners to migrate those on-premises workloads to Azure.

Now is the ideal time to upgrade, modernize and transform to current versions of SQL Server, Windows Server and Azure services for more security, performance and innovation.

  • Support for SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 ends July 9, 2019
  • Support for Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 ends January 14, 2020

Free extended security updates in Azure

When those workloads are migrated to Azure Virtual Machines, they will have access to three years of 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 VM pricing.

• This is detailed in the official announcement
• You can also download the FAQ Document

Save money

Migrating to Azure brings cost saving opportunities with Azure Hybrid Use Benefit and Reserved Instances:

• Save up to 55% on migrations to Azure SQL Database with Azure Hybrid Benefit
• Save up to 80% on Windows Server with Azure Hybrid Benefit and Reserved Instances

Avoid significant costs paying for Extended Support if your customer needs to continue using Windows 2008 and SQL 2008 after support ends.

Migrate VMs using Azure Site Recovery

Our flagship service for Azure migrations, Azure Site Recovery, has recently introduced support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2. This means our Partners can use the familiar Azure tools to migrate those legacy workloads.

The getting started documentation for migrating Server 2008 and 2008 is available here: /en-us/azure/site-recovery/migrate-tutorial-windows-server-2008

Migrate SQL Server 2008 & 2008 R2

Azure has a comprehensive set of services to migrate SQL Server – you can pick the most appropriate route for your customers:

Modernize the data platform

Seize this End-Of-Support, to have conversations about modernizing the data platform with your customers!

Azure has a comprehensive set of Data Services, from fully managed Data Warehouses in Azure SQL Data Warehouse, to globally distributed multi-model NoSQL databases with Azure Cosmos DB.

This is the perfect opportunity to understand how your customers’ businesses would benefit from the scale & agility which is unlocked by innovating on top of our portfolio of secure, enterprise-grade, fully managed data services.