End of support for Windows Server 2003 is fast approaching

Microsoft officially ends support for Windows Server 2003 on July 14, 2015. The deadline has some of the same ramifications that the Windows XP deadline had: Microsoft will no longer patch Windows Server 2003 for new security vulnerabilities. Presumably, Microsoft will offer expensive Custom Support Agreements for enterprises to continue getting patch support after that date, but there’s been no official announcement yet. In the meantime, new security vulnerabilities keep cropping up for the aging OS. During the last full year, 2013, Microsoft released 37 critical updates for Windows Server 2003.

Despite years of lead-time, many businesses had to scramble this year when Microsoft ended support for its incredibly popular Windows XP desktop operating system. The disruption caused by the end of support for Windows XP may be nothing compared with the disruption caused by the end of support for Windows Server 2003, slated for July 14, 2015. “When Microsoft ended support for Windows XP in April, about one quarter of U.S. businesses were still using the operating system, which caused a series of operational issues and potential security challenges,” says David Mayer, practice director, Microsoft Solutions, at IT services firm Insight Enterprises. “While XP was primarily a desktop issue, we’re advising our clients that Server 2003 end of service affects entire servers, with the potential to have widespread impact on many more business operations,” Mayer says. “With less than a year to begin addressing the issue, we’re outlining for clients we work with a series of timely steps and options to start exploring now so they can implement their own outcome.”