So Windows Server 2003 End of Support has come and gone, and
perhaps you’re wondering why you haven’t heard a media storm around a company
that’s been hit hard due to not upgrading.
I think we all knew that lack of an upgrade plan wouldn’t
cause huge disruptions straight away, but that’s not to say that those who have
hung onto Windows Server 2003 are in the clear. In fact, the reality is quite
the opposite. The last round of patches from Microsoft didn’t include Windows
Server 2003 – so the situation for anyone holding on to this platform is much
darker than they perhaps realise.
Server migration isn’t done in a week. In fact, it can take five
months to fully complete a server and workload migration project, and even
that’s optimistic depending on the size of your business. Organisations that
haven’t yet started the upgrade process aren’t running late; they’re far past
that point. The longer that businesses go without upgrading, the greater the
security risk. On top of that, they’re taking the chance that Visa and
MasterCard won’t do business with them due to Windows Server 2003 no longer
being PCI compliant, which is bad news for anyone accepting card payments
online.
Obviously, we’re talking bad-case scenarios here, but operating
with an out of date infrastructure means that organisations are under threat.
Every day on Windows Server 2003 is another day that issues can strike.
It’s not unusual for cyber attacks to target unsupported
software, and really it makes perfect sense. If a global organisation is
running outdated software, virus authors will naturally target it for a chance
of fame. The grim reality is that by refusing to upgrade, an organisation is
putting more than some data at risk; they’re actively threatening their own
future. History is littered with organisations who have lost customer data –
and as a result lost their customers too. It’s harsh reading, but it’s
definitely worth thinking about.
To move onto happier things, End of Support has done a lot
of good for businesses when customers have upgraded. The necessity of having to
do something has allowed businesses to have a complete rethink of how they deal
with their data, leading to some interesting choices. The most interesting is
perhaps the rise of businesses using Cloud solutions. Gone are the times when
migration meant a choice of which physical servers to keep in your basement.
With the rise of Microsoft Azure and Office 365, organisations have been willing
to not only try the cloud, but also consider both options as a valid choice
when migrating from Windows Server 2003.
The main messaging to take from Windows Server 2003 EOS is
that it’s never truly too late to upgrade. Mark Buckley, Senior Partner Sales
Executive for Distribution at Microsoft, had this to say on the subject: ‘Support
has now ended for Windows Server 2003, but it’s not too late to migrate. If
your server goes down, how long is it until your business starts to lose money?
Don’t wait for something to go wrong, and don’t learn the hard way.’
One thing is clear:
if businesses haven’t upgraded yet, it’s not too late. But the longer
it’s left, the greater the risk is.
Watch our Windows Server 2003 EOS Video
If you want to find out more about migration opportunities, contact your account manager or email: sales@westcoast.co.uk
