End of Support: Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Date posted: 8th July 2015

Precarious days are ahead for small business owners who continue to rely on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Come July 14, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support for the operating system. What’s this mean? Without support, any data that remains on Windows Server 2003 can easily become a feast for hackers everywhere. To protect against data breach disasters, migrate as quickly, and safely, as possible.

Things to know if you don’t migrate:
Windows Server 2003 will not vanish, but support and security patches will be a thing of the past.

Be mindful of incompatibility issues for future hardware and software upgrades—these will only increase the longer you stay with Windows Server 2003.

There are legalities to deal with, as well. Depending upon where you do business, and your type of business, compliance needs careful consideration. The amount you could pay in fines (if you don’t mean standards) could be well beyond the cost of migrating systems.

There is an option to purchase a custom support agreement (CSA) from Microsoft to help circumvent compliance and safety issues. However, costs associated (roughly $600 per server) will double every year.

So, scary stuff aside, no matter what decision you make—whether you opt for Windows Server 2012 or flee for the cloud—make a decision soon.