The internet has become increasingly dangerous, making it very difficult for Microsoft to simply abandon old software which is often running important infrastructure.

At Inspire 2021 Microsoft announced that they will continue to release Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2008 and 2012, and for SQL Server 2012.

Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 was set to exit Extended Support on the 10th October 2023, but Microsoft has confirmed that this will be pushed back 3 years, while SQL Server 2012 will also get another 3 years beyond its earlier July 12, 2022 end of support date.

Extended support of course costs a pretty penny, but Microsoft is prepared to offer it for free if you move your Windows Server to their Azure cloud using Azure Hybrid Benefit, which Microsoft says is the cheapest way to run Windows Server and SQL Server in the cloud.

If you decide to stay on-prem, Microsoft is demanding a price escalator, with year one of support costing three-quarters of your licence costs,  year two the price will be at full price, and in year three Extended Security Updates will cost 125 per cent of the license cost.

Read all the detail at Microsoft here.

via The Register