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Windows Server 2012 R2 End of Life Options for Healthcare and Hospitals.

Windows Server 2012 R2 ends on October 10, 2023. Protect healthcare and hospital server workloads. Extend on-premise or migrate to the cloud?
Jan 14, 2023
Mike Jones
Written by:
Mike Jones
Windows Server 2012 R2 End of Life for Healthcare and Hospitals

Windows Server 2012 R2 End of Life for Healthcare and Hospitals

Windows Server 2012 R2 ends on October 10, 2023. Health IT has several options to protect server workloads. They can extend the life on-premise, upgrade, or migrate to the cloud. Additional considerations include economic conditions, return on Microsoft investment, and total cost of Microsoft software ownership.

Audience: Healthcare CIO and IT Executives | Hospital Sourcing, Procurement and Vendor Management

Windows Server 2012 R2 End of Life for Healthcare and Hospitals

Extend Windows 2012 R2 Server Lifespan to Maximize the Value of Your Microsoft Investment

Health IT can extend the life of their Windows 2012 R2 servers 3-5 years with Extended Security Updates (ESUs) and Microsoft third-party support. Maximize the ROI of your highly functional on-premise Win 2012 server fleet by deferring disruptive and expensive migrations.

Healthcare and hospital IT leaders can avoid expensive Microsoft Windows 2012 Server upgrades or migrations by running their existing highly functional systems and avoid long-term lock-in from Microsoft. ESUs and Microsoft third-party support give healthcare providers the strategic freedom to extend lifespans of hard-working, stable Microsoft Windows Server implementations and upgrade their Microsoft fleet when it best suits the enterprise.

Upgrade Windows 2012 R2 Servers to 2022 Server and Keep On-premise or Migrate to Azure Cloud

Healthcare providers can upgrade their Windows 2012 R2 servers to Windows 2022 Server and keep them on-premise or migrate them to the Azure cloud. Experienced IT Health teams know that Windows Server upgrades are disruptive and expensive, essentially restarting the ROI counter on their Microsoft investment. Windows server migrations to Azure are equally disruptive but also come with the additional hidden cost of Unified Support.

Hospitals should never upgrade Windows 2012 Server just to stay fully supported. Microsoft Windows Server upgrades used to provide significant, valuable new functionality. Now, instead of looking forward to new features, many Microsoft healthcare customers fear the expensive and time-consuming upgrade treadmill — with little perceived new value.

Health IT teams can defer Microsoft Windows 2012 R2 Server migrations until your organization is ROI-ready. Microsoft Windows Server migrations are expensive, disruptive, and typically don’t drive competitive advantage or revenue growth. However, Microsoft is forcing their healthcare customers to move from robust, stable systems to new and unproven platforms through forced end of life support deadlines.

Extended Security Updates (ESU) Add 3 Years to Windows Server 2012 R2 Life

ESUs for Windows Server 2012 provide up to three years of security updates to Health IT teams. ESUs will continue for three years, renewable on an annual basis, until October 13, 2026.

Eligible healthcare customers with Software Assurance under an Enterprise Agreement can purchase Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 running on-premises. Hospitals with active Software Assurance or subscription licenses can purchase Extended Security Updates annually for 75 percent of the license cost of the latest version of SQL Server or Windows Server for the first year, 100 percent of the license cost for the second year, and 125 percent of the license cost for the third year.

Extended Security Updates do not include new features, customer-requested non-security hotfixes, or design change requests. However, Microsoft may include non-security fixes as deemed necessary. For on-premises servers, healthcare providers can use Azure Arc to receive automated/scheduled ESU updates and installation as well as the security and governance capabilities in Azure.

Third-Party Microsoft Support Anchors Windows Server 2012 R2 and Lowers TCO

Third-party Microsoft support for healthcare helps to reduce fees, preserve future flexibility, and extend the lifespan of current robust Microsoft Windows Server releases without requiring any costly, labor-intensive upgrades or migrations.

Hospitals Get Better Microsoft Return on Investment
Don’t change simply for the sake of change — avoid expensive and disruptive hospital Windows Server 2012 upgrades or migrations just to stay supported. Reduce support fees and avoid wasting potentially millions of dollars required to migrate or refresh well-running and stable Windows Server systems to unproven new platforms without a business case or ROI.

Economical, Expert Microsoft Support for Healthcare
Healthcare providers get access to Microsoft Windows Server support experts on the frontlines. Third-Party Microsoft Support for Healthcare offers Designated Support Engineers (DSEs) with an average of 20 years of experience and industry-leading, 24/7/365 response times. DSEs quickly resolve Windows 2012 R2 Server issues and develop fixes that address customizations.

Health IT Gets Win for Lower Total Cost of Microsoft Ownership
Free up funds for patient care growth and innovation while lowering your Microsoft TCO. Third-party Microsoft Support healthcare and hospital clients can take their substantial Microsoft Windows Server support cost savings and invest in new and innovative Health IT initiatives that create competitive advantage and drive business growth.

Mike Jones
Mike Jones
Mike Jones stands out as a leading authority on Microsoft enterprise solutions and has been recognized by Gartner as one of the world’s top subject matter experts on Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EA) and Unified (formerly Premier) Support contracts. Mike's extensive experience across the private, partner, and government sectors empowers him to expertly identify and address the unique needs of Fortune 500 Microsoft environments. His unparalleled insight into Microsoft offerings makes him an invaluable asset to any organization looking to optimize their technology landscape.
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