Effective July 14, 2015 Microsoft will no longer support Windows Server 2003 and that product will officially reach its End of Life status. Although there are various implications and considerations, the main consideration is security and privacy compliance, specifically HIPAA. The End Of Life means there is no support for the operating system, and no critical security updates.
Due to its reliability many businesses are still running Windows Server 2003. These businesses need to act immediately to be able to go through the planning and implementation process in time to replace their Windows Server 2003 installations.
In turn, some businesses should upgrade to the latest Windows Server 2012 R2, if they truly need a Windows Server. However, back when Windows Server 2003 came out, there were no viable File Server or Network Print Server alternatives. Therefore, some businesses implemented Windows Server 2003 solely for file and print sharing, now better alternatives exist.
Depending on when a business implemented Windows Server 2003, there is also a good likely hood they are running 32 bit hardware which will not support the 64 bit Windows Server 2012 R2 Operating System. As a result, new hardware may be in order, which brings up an opportunity to implement Virtualization to provide better server recovery.
“The End Of Life means there is no support for the operating system, and no critical security updates.”
We have already migrated several clients from Windows Server 2003, please feel free to contact us if you would like help to assess your current environment, business needs, identifying your best options, and related costs.
Windows Server 2003 EOL
Latest Windows Server version is Windows Server 2012 R2
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