When was the last time you thought seriously about upgrading your business’s technology solutions--particularly its software? We know that administering patches and updates can be challenging for some businesses to maintain, but with the right support, it’s more manageable and certainly more secure. Unfortunately, after a certain period of time passes, Microsoft stops supporting certain outdated solutions, rendering them dangerous and obsolete.

This upcoming January, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will be joining other past operating systems on the list of those losing support. What this means is that these solutions are so old and outdated that they aren’t supported with the required patches and security updates. This can be devastating for unprepared businesses. Let’s take a look at what the term “End of Life” means and what it involves.

What Does End of Life Mean?

End of Life, also known as End of Support, is a state used by software developers to label solutions that are not to receive any patches or security updates. Sometimes users of Microsoft products can take advantage of Extended Security Updates, but only for a maximum of three years. In any case, this is often not an option, as the cost of this extended support far outweighs the benefit of actually upgrading away from the operating system as a whole.

What You Must Do

It’s critical that you consider how much your business could lose from failing to implement patches and updates in a timely manner. Imagine that you’re the one footing the bill when a major security breach exposes sensitive data to external threats. Would your organization be able to sustain operations following such a catastrophe? The answer is that you shouldn’t have to imagine it, because it could very well be the future without the right patches and updates. Start taking preventative action now by upgrading away from these software solutions.

You can start by looking at this list of upcoming End of Support dates and seeing how many of them you’ll have to upgrade away from in the near future. Then reach out to us for assistance with upgrading.

We Can Help

You have enough responsibilities to deal with without worrying about when to upgrade your technology. A managed service provider can make this much easier and more efficient. Data Net can provide consultation throughout the entire process of implementing new operating systems or any other technology solution. To learn more, reach out to us at (760) 466-1200.