Digital transformation is big business. By 2020, 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud. Meanwhile, on-premise workloads are predicted to shrink from 37% today to 27% of all workloads. Unquestionably, the decision to embrace cloud is no longer a matter of debate. As each industry becomes increasingly technological, cloud has evolved from being a market disruptor to a prerequisite for business survival.

It’s a turbulent time for businesses today. As technology continues to permeate every part of our lives, organisations flock to the cloud in their droves in an effort to cut costs, stay nimble and ensure future survival. A deluge of new challenges have subsequently emerged out of abandoning the status quo in favor of technologies that are defining a new business era.

The Client

This publicly listed manufacturer of industrial & commercial products designs, manufactures, sells and services industrial and commercial products. The company’s climate and industrial segments offer a myriad of market-leading products related to heating, cooling and refrigeration that span a variety of industrial and consumer sectors.

Given the much-touted benefits of moving to the Cloud such as scalability, reliability, lower costs and security, businesses are under increasing pressure to fully leverage its advantages. With average cost savings reported at 20-30%, any delay in getting to the Cloud could cost your business dearly, both in terms of operational agility and profitability.

In this blog we’ve taken a look at the potential cost implications of delaying a migration to the Cloud and whether it is really necessary to wait until the Portfolio Planning and Discovery phase is complete before embarking on the move.

Q: When does End of Support for 2008 and 2008 R2 versions of SQL Server come into effect?
A: End of support for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 is July 9, 2019 End of support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 is January 14, 2020

Q: What does End of Support mean?
A: Microsoft Lifecycle Policy offers 10 years of support (5 years for Mainstream Support and 5 years for Extended Support) for Business and Developer products (such as SQL Server and Windows Server). As per the policy, after the end of the Extended Support period there will be no patches or security updates, which may cause security and compliance issues, and expose customers’ applications and business to serious security risks. Learn more at Microsoft Lifecycle Policy page.

In the coming months Microsoft will no longer issue security updates for Windows Server & SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2:

• 9th July 2019: Extended Support for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will end
• 14th January 2020: Extended Support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will end

With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated and frequent, running apps and data on unsupported versions can create significant security and compliance risks. Whist the ramifications of ignoring end of support may be steep, it is a great opportunity to transform your applications and infrastructure to take advantage of cloud computing and the latest versions of SQL Server and Windows Server.

Moving data within a cloud is easy - that’s what 40 Gigabit Ethernet is for - but getting that data there in the first place can prove tricky. How tough the process is depends on several factors, including the amount of data to be moved and how much time is available to move it.

The Client

This publicly listed manufacturer designs, manufactures, sells and services industrial and commercial products. The company’s climate and industrial segments offer a myriad of market-leading products related to heating, cooling, and refrigeration that span a variety of industrial and consumer sectors.