Less than 100 days to end of support for Windows Server 2003

Microsoft Corporation is reaching out to its customers in Vietnam to advise that time is running out for organisations still with Windows Server 2003 with less than 100 days to the end of support deadline on July 14, 2015.

This is already an extended date and is based on its standard lifecycle support policies. IT leaders need to move quickly to protect the applications and information residing on old servers and to use it as an opportunity to realise the business benefits of moving to modern platforms like Windows Server 2012 as outlined in a recently commissioned report by IDC Asia Pacific1.

According to Spiceworks, a global professional network of more than five million IT professionals, 59.8 per cent of organisations who use its tools in Asia Pacific are still running at least one instance of Windows Server 2003 as of March 2015. This represents a 5 per cent drop in Windows Server 2003 usage since June 2014.

In Asia Pacific region, there are approximately 60 per cent of organisations which use Spiceworks tools are still running at least one instance of Windows Server 2003 as of March 2015. This represents a 5 per cent percentage point drop since June 2014.

For companies still using Windows Server 2003 after the end of support deadline, these servers will be particularly vulnerable as no new security patches will be made available.

This is especially critical, given the fast-paced evolution of security threats. In fact, since January 2014, 47 new vulnerabilities were identified on Windows Server 2003 according to Secunia, a global player in software vulnerability management.

“IT demands have changed dramatically since the launch of Windows Server 2003 more than 11 years ago. IT leaders across all industries are now managing an infrastructure that demands support for cloud, mobility, social and data-intensive applications,” said Hoang Song Nga, C&E Lead, Microsoft Vietnam.

“In addition, the increasing security and privacy threats are pressuring businesses of all sizes to transform in this new mobile-first, cloud-first world. All of which cannot be met with old technology platforms,” Nga added.

Source : http://english.vietnamnet.vn/