Windows Server 2003 End of Life Support Information

Cloud

If you’re a Windows Server 2003 user, you’ve undoubtedly heard by now that Windows 2003 end of life is scheduled for July 14, 2015. After that date, no new updates will be developed or released. While there’s been plenty of “buzz” about this topic online – we’ve even addressed it previously in this blog – you may still not understand why it’s important to migrate to a newer operating system, or what steps are involved in doing so. Our purpose in this post is to provide you with more information about how an outdated operating system can affect your business, as well as provide some specific Windows Server 2003 end of life support information.

The Consequences of Staying with Windows Server 2003

When a software developer discontinues support of an operating system, it means that continuing to use that OS can leave your network vulnerable to a wide range of security threats in the future. While this would be bad news for any company, it’s particularly negative for businesses concerned with regulatory compliance issues. Your organization will be unable to keep up-to-date with even the most common compliance standard, PCI (Payment Card Industry), which may result in credit card companies not doing business with you. Your company won’t be able to pass a compliance audit. Not only that, but you also won’t be able to use many different apps on your outdated operating system. Although you might be able to initiate a CSA (Custom Support Agreement), doing so is quite costly initially – and even more expensive year after year. And just as important, if not more so, staying with an outdated OS like Windows 2003 will leave your business unable to effectively compete with other companies. While they enjoy the advantages of cloud computing and cutting-edge technology, you’ll be barely plugging along on an antiquated system.

Now that you fully understand how important it is to migrate to a new OS, the only question is, which one? Although you could certainly choose some other Microsoft system, we strongly recommend that our customers migrate to Windows 2012. The reason is twofold: not only will Windows 2012 enable you to fully utilize cloud technology, but the lifespan of the system is much longer than others, meaning you won’t have to go through the migration process again for several years.

Rely on PointClick for Your Migration Process

Depending on a hosting provider such as PointClick to migrate to a new operating system is the smartest move for virtually any company. Unless you have a large staff of IT professionals on hand that can adequately map out the steps involved for your business, migrating to a new system can be a complex process. If you don’t have your own IT staff – and even if you do – it just makes good business sense to rely on our trained, experienced professionals to guide you through the migration for your company.

We’ll walk you through the process from start to finish. One of the first steps will be to take inventory of your current network, taking into consideration the number of servers and the type of workloads they handle on a regular basis. We’ll also review which apps you currently use, and determine if they can be migrated to your new OS and still function in a cloud environment. We’ll also take into consideration other technology that may operate within your network, such as phone and security systems, to determine how they will function and interact within a new OS.