Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 (all editions) which was introduced in November of 2013, will reach end of support with Microsoft on January 10, 2023. What this means is that there will be no more patches or updates for this operating system after the end of support date. This includes security patches, which are critical to keeping any operating system on your computer network from being vulnerable to a cyber attack.
So, as of the date of this posting, you have 6 months to identify any computers on your network which may be running this operating system and then plan to replace those before January 2023.
The current version of Windows for PCs and tablets is Windows 11, introduced in October 2021.
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows Server 2012 R2 (all editions) which was introduced in November 2013, will reach end of support with Microsoft on October 10, 2023. As with any operating system that reaches end of support, no more patches or updates are released, including security patches. Continuing to operate with an unsupported operating system makes your network vulnerable to a cyber attack.
Exceptions to this October 2023 end date will be for those organizations that choose to purchase the “Extended Security Update” options. These can be purchased annually starting with the October 2023 to October 2024 period, for up to three extensions, the final extended date being October 13, 2026.
As a further note, particularly for our current clients, Windows Server 2012 R2 could become an issue much sooner than October 2023 with respect to our ability to monitor those computers. Our monitoring software vendor has notified us that as vulnerabilities have been discovered in Windows Server 2012 R2, Microsoft has disabled many of the secure Cyphers that were used to connect and monitor servers. If this trend continues, Microsoft may disable all usable Cyphers before Oct 2023 and thus we will be unable to monitor the health of Windows 2012 R2 servers or apply patches.
If you are running a Windows 2012 R2 Server, we encourage you to plan for a replacement sooner rather than later.
The current version of Windows Server is Windows Server 2022, released in August 2021.
If you need an IT company to manage your computer network, including tracking computer life cycles and installing new equipment, please give us a call.
