The Death of Windows Server 2003 is Near

With the death of Windows Server 2003 support, are you going to be shouting orders to keep the ship from imploding at the last minute? Windows Server 2003 support is ending in July of 2015. This is less than four months away, and if you don’t have a plan, then you may be commanding a ship that is getting ready to face a near-death experience.

In an article entitled, “Windows Server 2003 End of Support Looms,” Thor Olavsrud quotes David Mayer, Practice Director at Microsoft Solutions, as saying:

“…an estimated 39 percent of all installed Microsoft Server operating systems are the 2003 edition. That’s about 24 million servers, of which about 9.4 million are in the U.S… Many instances are running an older version of SQL Server or other database applications (Microsoft’s highly popular SQL Server 2005 is itself heading toward end of support in 2016)…”

So what does this mean for your company? It means that you are vulnerable. The end of Windows Server 2003 support means that companies will be susceptible to viruses, malware, and security holes that could allow hackers to take control of your server, or worse yet, your network. As if these things weren’t bad enough, if something goes wrong with your Windows Server 2003 and you are unable to get support for it, then every application running
on that server is going to be down too.

So what do you do to avoid the crisis? Begin doing research now on what is available. If you are currently using a Microsoft server, then more than likely you will migrate to a newer Microsoft server. The other question that many businesses are going to have to finally answer is whether or not they are going choose a physical server or if it is the right time to move to the cloud.

With proper planning and research, this doesn’t have to be a time to panic, but rather an occasion to update and upgrade some systems to put your business on the path of operating leaner, all the while increasing output.

At CTI Technology, we help our customers navigate the myriad of new technologies and assist them in identifying the tools and migration processes that will be most beneficial and least disruptive to the people we support. As a start, we typically recommend conducting an inventory of your technology tools, followed by development of a detailed replacement plan.