Paul Deur
The clock is ticking on Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. Once end of support is reached, the absence of security patches means your data and applications will be vulnerable to attack if they haven’t been migrated.
With so many moving parts, it’s not unheard of for a migration to take around 18 months, so teams will need to start migration projects now. But what are the real implications of doing nothing?
The answer to avoiding security breaches and the costs (both financial and reputational) associated with them, is to migrate to a new server OS. But as with any IT transformation program, if managed poorly, there are many opportunities for error that can also create security risks.
UK bank, TSB, found this out when lack of stringent testing and the too early execution of a server migration caused the company to suffer major customer outages and opened the door to fraudulent activity, costing it £330 million in compensation.
Here are some steps you could put in place to mitigate security risks of your server migration:
Implement a clear process and audit trail to ensure every step is followed, and any server migration goes ahead only when all readiness criteria is met. Here are some considerations for a successful migration.
Be clear about regulatory and compliance requirements with the team managing the migration. Are there any requirements stating what should remain on-prem vs what could move to the cloud? Your PMs need to incorporate this in their plans.
Limit the manual touchpoints: One way to reduce security risks in any IT transformation program is to reduce the number of manual touchpoints and automate as many workflows and processes as you can.
Human oversight or error was cited as the fault of a botched server migration of a company that archived emails for medical device vendor, Zoll. During the migration in 2018 a network configuration error compromised the personal and medical data of 277,139 patients leading to Zoll filing a lawsuit against the IT service vendor.
By leveraging the digital platform conductor (DPC) capabilities of ReadyWorks you can automate workflows to migrate EOL servers faster and reduce the risk of your enterprise server migration program.
Automate data discovery by connecting to all your information sources to gain a real-time view of your IT estate, avoiding the errors created by managing this manually and working with outdated program data.
Incorporate compliance and regulatory requirements into your processes to ensure these are followed throughout the migration.
Leverage automated workflows that are triggered once all readiness criteria have been met, including all application testing and certification.
Easily identify migration exceptions such as those applications no longer supported by the newer server OS but required for a finite period following cutover. In doing this you can create a process to isolate these applications in the new environment, ensuring they operate in a controlled ‘sandbox’, to protect all your data.
Implement real-time audit trails to track completion of every step of the migration.
Benefit from a real-time view of project progress showing any outstanding issues that need to be completed to ensure you remain on-track.
Book a demo to see how ReadyWorks can reduce the risk of your Windows Server 2012 migration.