Windows Server 2012/R2 reaches end of support

Today, October 10th, 2023, Windows Server 2012/R2 reaches end of support. After the end of support date, Windows Server 2012/R2 workloads will be vulnerable as they will no longer receive regular security updates. Organizations can remain protected by: 1. Modernizing to a [PaaS platform](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/cloud-computing-dictionary/what-is-paas/) such as [Azure SQL Managed Instance](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-sql/managed-instance/) or [Azure App Service](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/products/app-service/) to always stay up-to-date, or upgrading to the latest version in Azure. With a PaaS platform, customers can fully offload management tasks in the cloud, so teams can focus on delivering innovative apps and experiences for their businesses. 2. Migrating to Azure for free [Extended Security Updates](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-US/lifecycle/faq/extended-security-updates). This includes options such as [Azure Virtual Machines](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/virtual-machines/), [Azure Dedicated Host](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/virtual-machines/dedicated-host/), [Azure VMware Solution](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-vmware/), and [Azure Stack HCI](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-stack/hci/). Combining this with [Azure Hybrid Benefit](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/hybrid-benefit/) and consumption models such as [reserved instances](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/reserved-vm-instances/) or [savings plan for compute](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/savings-plan-compute/) allows even more savings in Azure for Windows Server and SQL Server. 3. Purchasing [Extended Security Updates enabled by Azure Arc](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-arc-blog/generally-available-windows-server-2012-and-2012-r2-extended/ba-p/3930712) to remain protected on premises and in multi cloud environments. * Security