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but operating with an out of date infrastructure means that organisations are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 If a global organisation is running outdated software,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.
