Customers such as you, with companies of all sizes, have depended on Windows Server because the platform to run your mission-critical workloads for over 30 years. Through difficult financial stipulations and continuously transferring trade wishes, you’ve been ready to conform and innovate with give a boost to from a resilient infrastructure. We are dedicated to supporting you within the subsequent steps to modernize by way of introducing new advantages that upload extra worth and versatility to maximise your Windows Server investments whilst reaching charge financial savings and potency.

Azure Hybrid Benefit enlargement

As consumers are expanding cloud adoption to run digital system (VM)–founded and containerized packages, in addition they wish to stay some workloads on-premises. At Microsoft, we’re dedicated to assembly consumers the place they’re. Azure Hybrid Benefit is a program that permits consumers to scale back the prices of working workloads within the cloud. At Microsoft Ignite, we’re introducing new additions to Azure Hybrid Benefit to carry the worth of Azure to the place consumers are.

As a part of our updates, consumers with Windows Server Software Assurance or a Cloud Solution Provider subscription will be capable of use Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on Windows Server and Azure Stack HCI in their very own datacenters or edge infrastructure at no further charge. This will permit consumers to containerize their packages and deploy them on Azure or on-premises persistently by way of maximizing trade worth with a controlled Kubernetes carrier in their very own environments.

For consumers having a look to modernize their setting, we also are introducing a brand new get advantages for Windows Server Datacenter Software Assurance consumers to make use of Azure Stack HCI at no further charge.¹ With this, consumers can modernize their current datacenter and edge infrastructure to run their VM and container-based workloads on trendy infrastructure with industry-leading worth efficiency and integrated connectivity to Azure. Learn extra about Azure Hybrid Benefit for AKS and Azure Stack HCI.

More flexibility to run Windows Server

On October 1, 2022, we carried out a number of updates to outsourcing and website hosting phrases for purchasers and companions globally. Among those is the Flexible Virtualization Benefit, which permits consumers with Software Assurance or subscription licenses to run their very own authorized device, together with Windows Server, on different cloud suppliers’ infrastructure—devoted or multitenant.² Additionally, consumers too can license Windows Server on a VM foundation.

Windows Server consumers were more and more leveraging Windows boxes to modernize their packages. However, we heard from a couple of of our consumers and alertness distributors that wanted the facility to distribute a whole containerized software without delay to their finish customers. Starting lately, consumers will be capable of redistribute Windows Container base pictures past their group in line with the up to date End-User Agreement License. Now, consumers and alertness distributors throughout segments like scientific, monetary, production, or different air-gapped environments can extra simply use Windows boxes to modernize their packages. Learn extra in regards to the upcoming adjustments in our tech group weblog.

Modernize for finish of give a boost to

With all of the added advantages and versatility discussed above, there’s no higher time to modernize than now. This is particularly true if you’re working Windows Server 2012/R2, which is attaining finish of give a boost to subsequent 12 months on October 10, 2023. We have a number of choices to stay your Windows Server 2012/R2 workloads secure:

• Migrate to Azure and run securely with as much as 3 years of unfastened Extended Security Updates. This contains all Azure locations equivalent to Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Dedicated Host, Azure VMware Solution, and the Azure Stack portfolio.
• Upgrade to Windows Server 2022 to get the most recent innovation in safety and alertness modernization.
• Deploy prolonged safety updates on-premises. Customers that can’t meet the top of give a boost to closing date and feature Software Assurance or subscription licenses beneath an endeavor settlement enrollment, and can’t migrate their Windows Server to Azure, will be able to shop for Extended Security Updates.

Start migrating and modernizing your Windows Server workloads

No subject the place you might be on your migration and modernization adventure, we’re dedicated to supporting you at each step. Here are some sources to get began lately:  

• Learn extra in regards to the distinctive features and cost-savings to be had when working Windows Server on Azure.
• Learn extra about your choices for Windows Server and SQL Server 2012/R2 finish of give a boost to.
• Migrate and modernize with self assurance in the course of the Azure Migration and Modernization Program.

¹_{Currently most effective to be had for Windows Server Datacenter licenses with Software Assurance bought via Enterprise Agreements. Customers can most effective use Windows Server or Azure Stack HCI. Customers could have 180 days of concurrent use rights to transport to Azure Stack HCI.}

²_{Note that those adjustments exclude what we time period Listed Providers: Alibaba, Amazon Web Services, Google, and Microsoft. Customers that need to use a Listed Provider for outsourcing can achieve licenses without delay from the Listed Provider.}

³_{Note: In alignment with the servicing type for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 (hyperlink to weblog), the Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 ESU program will most effective come with Monthly Rollup applications; Security Only replace applications might not be supplied.}