Extended Security Updates Depend on Hosting Platform

This report was updated on Dec. 5, 2023 to reflect Microsoft’s announcement of ESUs for Windows 10.

• The cost and duration of ESUs for Windows Server and SQL Server depend on where the software is deployed.
• Azure services provide the most favorable licensing for ESUs but can require complicated migrations, new hardware, or both.
• Azure Arc is increasingly required to register ESUs for servers on-premises or in hosting environments other than Azure.

Extended Security Updates (ESUs) can provide security patches for select versions of Windows Server and SQL Server that are otherwise no longer supported by Microsoft. Although ESUs can be costly for workloads running on traditional on-premises hosting or third-party clouds, Microsoft offers preferential licensing for customers willing to migrate to Azure or adopt Azure Stack HCI or Stack Hub servers. Azure Arc, Microsoft’s service for extending Azure management to systems outside Azure, is now required to obtain ESUs in almost all on-premises and in third-party cloud scenarios, which adds complexity for organizations that have chosen not to adopt Azure services.