After 7/14/15, Servers Running Windows Server 2003 Will No Longer Be Viable in Business Environments

On July 14 of 2015, Microsoft will end support for Windows Server 2003, a widespread operating system that has been powering business servers for over a decade. As with Windows XP's end of support in April of this year, this means that after 7/14/15, servers still running Server 2003 will no longer receive free or paid support, and, much more importantly, will no longer receive software updates or security patches.

In other words, any server still running the outdated OS next July will be highly vulnerable to cyberattack, and therefore no longer viable. 

The Bad News, Then the Good News

If you have a server running Server 2003, it's time to start planning an upgrade and/or migration. That's the downside.

The upside, though, is that server technology and cloud computing services have come a long way since the days when Server 2003 was on the cutting edge of business computing, so you have a lot of good options moving forward.

In most cases, true business-class technology environments still require an onsite server, at the very least to provide group policy and network management, as well as authentication. Still, many businesses are beginning to rely on cloud solutions for some of the functions servers have traditionally supplied. For instance, we have implemented Box as a file sharing solution for several clients, and we have advised others to move their Exchange hosting (email, calendars, contacts) to the cloud. In some cases, moving to these cloud solutions allows businesses to "downsize" their servers, so to speak, to leaner hardware dedicated to performing mainly network management and security functions.

Need a Strategy? We Can Help.

Part of our mission as a company is to bring high value to client business needs via innovative technology solutions. What we mean by that is that we listen to each client's goals and needs, and then craft a technology strategy around those needs. It's what we're best at, and we do it every day.

So, if you need to plan a move away from Windows Server 2003 and want to form a strategy to put the best technology in place for the future and growth of your business, we can help. There's no one-size-fits all solution for migrating away from Server 2003, but there is a best solution for each individual business. We'd love to help you find yours.