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Windows Server 2003 End-of-Support is July 14, 2015

Windows Server 2003 EOS Awareness video

All good things must come to an end.  If your business is still running Windows Server 2003, it’s time to consider the alternatives to keep your business’s data safe.  After July 14, 2015, Microsoft will no longer be providing support or patches / security updates for your server.  If you are in an industry where you have regulatory compliance obligations, you may want to check the fine print of your bulletin of choice to confirm that your data must be stored on “supported” computer systems.  After July 14, 2015, Windows Server 2003 machines will no longer be supported.

But, anyway, its 2015; and you do have alternatives.  You have Windows Server 2012 R2, virtualization, and the cloud.  If that all sounds like more choices than you’d care to figure out on your own, please do give us a call for an assessment of what you have running on your existing servers, and a discussion on how those systems can best be modernized.

One classic server was the Windows Small Business Server 2003.  It ran everything all on one box, including Exchange Server and SQL Server.  These days, you can get your corporate-class messaging system with Exchange Online.  It is part of the Office 365 suite of online services, can cost as little as $8 / user / month, and is maintenance-free.  Office 365 also includes SharePoint Online for collaboration; Skype for Business for instant communication; and OneDrive for Business as a way to sync personal business documents across multiple locations.

windows-server-2003-end-of-support-impactBesides Office 365 for messaging, collaboration, and communication; companies may also be running “line of business” applications on their legacy Windows Servers.  You may still want to run these software programs locally on an upgraded server, like Windows Server 2012 R2, or you may choose to run them as an app, where users will be able to access the app from any device.

In any case, there are a multitude of alternatives for moving your data, services, and applications software off your trusty old Windows Server 2003, but it is important that you begin the process of making these decisions to move sooner rather than later.  Windows Server 2003 has had a good run, but it’s now time to move to safer and more efficient environs to ensure that your business can continue to grow efficiently.