What we can do for you
Ashby Computer Services provide free Project Consultancy, allowing you to leverage our experience and training in migrating your systems with the minimum of hassle or downtime.
Contact us on 01604 790979 or enquiries@ashbycomputers.co.uk for more information and to get your project off the ground.
End of support of Windows Server 2003
Globally, when the end of support for Windows Server 2003 was confirmed, there were around 9.1 million instances of Windows Server 2003 and Small Business Server 2003 still in operation. Despite the average corporate install taking 300 days and the average SMB install taking 100 days, 60% of end user customers do not have an upgrade plan in place. In the UK that amounts to 30,000 physical servers that are at risk.
Despite launching in the same year as the launch of Adobe Creative Suite and MySpace, and predating the launch of the original iPhone and the mobile working revolution by some 4 years, refreshing an IT software and hardware infrastructure is low down on priorities for most IT Directors.
Removing your dependence on Windows Server 2003 ahead of the formal end of support on July 14th, 2015 will ultimately lead to a more efficient business, and a migration which happens on your own terms, not determined by a hardware failure or lack of planning which can leave you exposed.
How will end of support impact me?
No updates
37 critical updates were released in 2013 for Windows Server 2003/R2 under Extended Support. No updates will be developed or released after end of support.
No safe Haven
Both virtualised and physical instances of Windows Server 2003 are vulnerable and would not pass a compliance audit. Many applications (including those from Microsoft) will also cease to be supported once the operating system they are running on is unsupported. Running the latest SQL on Windows Server 2003/R2? It won’t be supported.
No compliance
Lack of compliance with various standards and regulations can be problematic. This may include non-compliance with key standards, or having to pay high penalties and transaction fees. For example, if your customer is required to be PCI compliant and continues to run an out-of-support platform, Visa and MasterCard can withdraw their services. Most organisations also have obligations relating to data privacy and protection.
No savings
A Support Agreement may have a high minimum entry cost, while customers also face added costs for intrusion detection systems, more advanced firewalls, network segmentation, and other security measures – all simply to isolate Windows Server 2003 servers. As a reseller offering support services, there may be a financial advantage to supporting non-critical legacy applications on legacy servers. This should be balanced with a high level of protection and a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.
Consider the benefits of a planned upgrade, and the benefit to you and your customer business of turning Windows Server 2003 end of support into a positive opportunity.
Reduce costs and get the most out of your IT investment
Run more applications on a single server, helping save on hardware costs and power bills, with built-in virtualisation from Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 R2. Further reduce capital expenses by leveraging infrastructure cloud services such as Azure, instead of purchasing new hardware, wherever it makes sense for your business.
Know you’re open for business even if disaster strikes
40 percent of businesses never reopen after disaster strikes. Get effective data backup, cut data loss and recover quickly without significant capital investment in hardware and backup media through Windows Server 2012 R2 and Microsoft Azure’s automated backup solution. Azure is Microsoft’s public Cloud, a global network of Microsoft-managed datacentres, connected and integrated with your existing IT environment.
Get easy and cost-effective data storage
You work with all kinds of files and data today, from presentations, to spreadsheets, to photos and videos. Consolidate and maximise use of existing storage infrastructure, and control storage costs resulting from expanding data requirements. Virtualise your storage and deliver reliable and scalable SAN-like storage solutions at a fraction of the cost using Storage Spaces technologies built-into Windows Server 2012 R2.
