Did you know that Microsoft will soon end its extended support for Windows Server 2003? No? You’re not the only one.
From 14 July 2015, there will be no more updates or patches from Microsoft, which can result in a less secure and less stable infrastructure for your business.
According to HP, more than 11 million systems are still running Windows Server 2003.
Many organisations and IT professionals are still unaware of the huge financial costs and security risks should they continue running Windows Server 2003 past the end of life date yet many are yet to begin their migration away from the server platform.
Windows 2003 update deadline is looming
A study by App Zero suggests 62% of organisations do not have a plan to upgrade or migrate, or even know that end of support is coming.
Gartner warns late movers will be “open to future risks due to unfixed security exposures or malfunctioning software”.
What you need to know
Extended support ends on 14 July 2015 for Standard, Enterprise and Data Centre editions of the OS, whether it’s the 32 or 64 bit version. That’s only 8 weeks away!
What does this mean?
What Microsoft says: “Microsoft will no longer issue security updates for any version of Windows Server 2003. If you are still running Windows Server 2003 in your data centre, you need to take steps now to plan and execute a migration strategy to protect your infrastructure.”
What this really means?
- Maintenance costs
- No updates
- No compliance
- Software/hardware compatibility issues
What can you do?
Microsoft has released an ‘End of Service’ site to help aid you in the next steps for your organisation as well as provide updates on timelines. You can also check out the following resources:
- Microsoft Virtual Academy
- Windows Server 2003 Roles Migration Process
- Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
- Search Product Lifecycle
