Replacing End-of-life Server 2008 Operating System

We have a number of Construction clients with servers that need to be replaced before the January 2020 end-of-life deadline from Microsoft. Just to bring you up-to-speed, any server running 2008 OS, or any SBS server needs to be replaced. Microsoft has already retired these products and as of January, they won’t provide any security updates putting you and your network at risk.

So, what to do? You can replace the physical server as you’ve done in the past. Many clients have taken this option and are very happy with the result. This is a capital investment of hardware and software, plus the labor to set it all up and move your data; no small feat!  Most clients are buying this outright, others have chosen to finance it.

Another option is to move to a private hosted server. We provide private hosting to our clients and we have a lot of clients taking advantage of this service. You essentially ‘lease’ the hardware and software; more resources can be easily added as you grow, it’s a smaller up-front investment, and the server is fully backed up, which has been very helpful.

What are some hot reasons to choose one over the other? We’ll have some ‘live’ webinars on the topic, but for our Sage 100 Contractor clients, here’s some additional info.

Sage does NOT have any plans to move S100C to the cloud. They have a commitment of 10 PLUS years of support and new features, but not in the cloud. HOWEVER, with our cloud hosting, you can access S100C from any computer with an internet connection.  For clients who don’t want to keep an onsite server, and who want access when traveling or for their PM’s who are at job sites, this has been a big ‘win.’

So, if your server is running a Microsoft 2008 Operating System (OS), it’s time to decide whether you’ll replace the server and OS, or move to a cloud-based server. There are some important things to consider and we strongly recommend reaching out for some guidance; but don’t wait. The change needs to be in place before January 2020 – CMW