Although 75% of IT professionals are aware that support for Windows Server 2003 is ending July 14, 2015, there are still a lot of questions about just how urgent the need to move is. Deprioritizing migration is not uncommon when there are other technology projects that are perceived to more directly benefit business groups. However, although while perhaps not as glamorous as other projects, Windows Server 2003 migration can make a big impact on your business.
There are two reasons you should prioritize Windows Server 2003 migration. The first is about the business opportunity you are not capitalizing on because you are running on decade-old technology. The innovation that has taken place in server and cloud technology since Windows Server 2003 was released is enormous. By not evolving your infrastructure to new technologies, your competition doesn’t have to work that hard to keep up. There is a huge opportunity to take advantage of the speed, scale, availability, and cost savings offered by more modern platforms.
The second reason you should prioritize Windows Server 2003 is security. Running unsupported technologies means you aren’t getting updates and patches that will protect you against new threats. To put this in perspective, there were 37 critical updates for Windows Server 2003 in 2013 and 21 critical updates in 2014—so even though your server may be 10 years old, that doesn’t protect you against discovered vulnerabilities. On top of that, you might be in compliance trouble if you run unsupported. For example, if you are using Windows Server 2003 for credit card transactions, PCI vendors may not be willing to work with you going forward.
These topics are covered in detail in our recent webinar “Make Windows Server 2003 Migration a Priority,” which features Gartner analyst Carl Claunch. For any organization wrestling with its Windows Server 2003 migration plans, this is a great resource to help you convince your leaders why migrating before the July 14 end-of-support date is critical for your business.
Once you register for this webinar, you’ll also get access to additional resources, including the Gartner report Make Windows Server 2003 Migration a Priority, Before Support Ends in July 2015 and the Three Steps to Accelerating Windows Server 2003 Migration white paper.
Register here for this complimentary, on demand webinar and other resources that can help get you on the path to preparing for tomorrow’s business.