When to replace a business server: signs and support dates
A server's age alone does not decide when to replace it. Check the hardware warning signs, Windows Server 2016 end of support and how we plan the move.
Dominik Skwarek
IT Administrator, Conetso Group and Relipoint
Articles by this author
Elastic log storage costs: LogsDB, pattern_text and tiers
How to cut your log bill in Elastic: LogsDB mode, the pattern_text field, data tiers and searchable snapshots. What works after upgrading from 8.x.
Bitdefender vs CrowdStrike: protecting computers and servers
Bitdefender vs CrowdStrike: we compare GravityZone and Falcon. We explain when endpoint protection is enough and when a business needs EDR, XDR or MDR.
How to enable MFA in Microsoft 365 without downtime
The order in which to enable MFA in Microsoft 365 so that nobody loses access. We cover emergency access accounts, shared accounts and older applications.
Microsoft 365 rollout plan for a company: steps and cost
A Microsoft 365 rollout plan for a company covers the choice of plan, email and file migration and security. We also explain timelines and cost factors.
Windows 10 end of support and ESU: next steps for businesses
The first year of paid ESU updates for Windows 10 ends on 13 October 2026. We explain ESU costs, Windows 11 requirements and how we plan replacements.
The 3-2-1 backup rule: what it means and how we apply it
The 3-2-1 backup rule calls for three copies of data on two types of media, one of them off site. We explain it, the 3-2-1-1-0 variant and our approach.
From Grafana and Datadog to Elastic: PromQL in 9.5
Elastic 9.5 of 4 August 2026 marks PromQL as GA and describes a tool for moving dashboards. What works today and what still needs manual work.
Elastic Security 9.4: Workflows GA and SIEM Readiness
Elastic Security 9.4 of 5 May 2026: Workflows in GA, SIEM Readiness in preview, separate privileges for rules and alerts, and new entity analytics.
Elastic 9.4 for metrics: managed OTLP endpoint and PromQL
The 9.4 release of 5 May 2026: a managed OTLP endpoint in Elastic Cloud, PromQL in preview and changes to time series indices. Watch for upgrade changes.
End of support for Elastic 8.x in 2027: an upgrade schedule
Maintenance of the 8.x series ends on 15 January 2027. We build an upgrade schedule backwards from that date and show how to choose the 9.x target version.
Elastic 9.3: pattern_text, Streams and Workflows for logs
The 9.3 release of 3 February 2026: pattern_text is GA, Streams and Workflows are in technical preview. What to test on your own logs before you upgrade.
Migrating Splunk rules to Elastic Security in practice
Automatic Migration in Elastic Security translates Splunk rules and dashboards. How the process works, the requirements and why every rule needs a review.
EDOT Collector in Elastic 9.2: Windows logs, tail sampling
Elastic 9.2 extends the OpenTelemetry collector in Elastic Agent with Windows Event Log and tail sampling. How to use them, what to watch, config changes.
Failure store in Elastic 9.2: rejected logs no longer vanish
Elastic 9.2, released on 23 October 2025, turns on the failure store for new log data streams. What changes for clients and how to find errors.
Upgrading Elastic from 8.x to 9.x: order and pitfalls
How to move safely from Elastic 8.x to 9.x: the 8.19 step, the Upgrade Assistant, indices from version 7.x, TLS and LogsDB changes, and the upgrade order.
ES|QL in Elasticsearch 9.1: LOOKUP JOIN for log enrichment
Elasticsearch 9.1 and 8.19, released on 29 July 2025, make LOOKUP JOIN in ES|QL generally available. How to enrich logs with threat lists and host owners.
Grafana Alloy 1.9: what changes in the telemetry collector
What Grafana Alloy is, how it replaces Grafana Agent and what version 1.9 brings: breaking changes, new components and what to watch for when upgrading.
SIEM on Elastic Security: first steps with detection rules
How to start with SIEM in Elastic Security: log sources, prebuilt detection rules, custom rules and event correlation, and cutting false alerts.
OpenTelemetry with Elastic and Grafana: how to roll it out
OpenTelemetry is an open standard for collecting metrics, logs and traces. We describe a collector-based architecture that feeds Elastic and Grafana.
Benchmarking Elasticsearch with Rally: how to start
Rally (esrally) is the official tool for Elasticsearch performance tests. We show how to prepare a test, run it on your own cluster and read the results.
Threat monitoring and incident response in a company
Threat monitoring means continuously watching computers, servers, accounts and the network. We describe the tools we use and six incident response steps.