Every software vendor has a support lifecycle for its products. They release a product and then provide updates and support for a period of time. At the end of the support lifecycle, customers need to upgrade to a newer version in order to continue receiving support from the vendor.
Microsoft’s standard software lifecycle is 10 years for most of their products. This includes 5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support. In some cases, Microsoft will continue support for longer than 10 years in response to a particular situation. In the case of Windows Server 2003, Microsoft released the product in March 2003. Therefore, Windows Server 2003 support was scheduled to end in 2013. However, Microsoft decided to extend Windows Server 2003 support to give customers enough time to migrate to a more modern version of Windows Server. They gave a similar support extension for Windows XP.
Microsoft is scheduled to end support for Windows Server 2003 on July 14th, 2015 which is five months from today. As the end of life date for Windows Server 2003 support is rapidly approaching, I thought it would be helpful to blog about some common questions that customers are asking in regards to this topic.
What are the risks if I decide to continue running Windows Server 2003 after July 14th, 2015?
There are 4 primary risks that Windows Server 2003 customers will face in the coming months:
1) Security Risk
Microsoft will no longer develop or release critical security updates for Windows Server 2003 after July 14th. Without these security updates, your server OS will become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software which can steal or damage your business data and information. Anti-virus software will also not be able to fully protect you once Windows Server 2003 itself is unsupported.
2) Software Compatibility Risk
Many software and hardware vendors will no longer support their products that are running on Windows Server 2003 as they are unable to get the Windows Server 2003 updates. For example, the new Office Profession 2013 will not run on Windows Server 2003. Also, Internet Explorer version 9, 10, and 11 will not install on Windows Server 2003. Finally, cloud services such as Office 365 will no longer support Windows Server 2003 after the end of life date in July 14th.
3) Support Risk
When problems arise, online and phone-based technical support will unfortunately no longer be available from Microsoft, your OEM, or your Microsoft support partner to assist you. This means that you will be on your own to resolve any issues you experience with Windows Server 2003. In the case of H Tech Solutions technical support, we align to the same support lifecycle as Microsoft. So when Microsoft discontinues support for Windows Server 2003, H Tech Solutions will do the same. There are companies which will provide custom support for Windows Server 2003, but the costs will become increasingly more expensive as time goes on.
4) Down Time Risk
The risks of system failure and business disruption could increase because of the end of support, lack of supported software, and the increasing age of hardware running Windows Server 2003. Many customers who continue to run Windows Server 2003 will find that the vast majority of modern software being developed for servers today no longer supports Windows Server 2003. This means it will be difficult to keep current with technology trends. In addition, companies which manufacture server hardware are no longer making parts for Windows Server 2003. If your server experiences a hardware failure, you may have to buy a second hand part on Ebay to find a viable replacement. This means increased costs and risk.
If you are still running Windows Server 2003 and would like assistance migrating to a new system before the end of life date in July,
please contact H Tech Solutions using the URL below for a free consultation.
H Tech Solutions Blog by Harris Schneiderman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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