Migrate from Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Server 2003 End of Life on July 14, 2015
Windows Server 2003 has been a reliable operating system used by millions of servers globally. But after July 14, there will be no patches or security updates, which could become a security and compliance risk for your business.
At PKML Professional IT Services we aim to provide you with the knowledge and experience to help you make an informed decision.
Windows Server 2003 Migration Guide:
- Microsoft will stop issuing security fixes, leaving your business open to viruses and hackers that exploit vulnerabilities, making it much harder for IT to do its job of security and corporate data protection.
- To guarantee the security of your company data, it’s recommended to migrate to a new, more secure operating system or service that can do the job of your old Windows Server. For business who operate in regulated industries such as banking, healthcare or government, staying compliant is important to stay operational and avoid hefty fines.
- For risk management purposes, it’s recommended that businesses stop using Windows Server 2003 before the End of Life date on July 14, 2015.
- The first step of knowing if you need to migrate is to check if the operating system is running your network. This can be a simple task if you only have one or two, but if you’re not sure, it’s best to take stock of what you have by contacting your service provider for an audit or running a tool like Microsoft’s network inventory tool to ensure you've captured everything.
When it comes to server migration, you have a few main options:
- Upgrade the Operating System on your existing hardware
- Migrate the roles and services of the old server to a new one
- Offload services to the Cloud (such as Office 365 or Infrastructure-as-a-Service through a service provider)
For many, it makes sense to go straight to the latest hardware with the new operating system for athe dded benefit of upping performance and reducing the risk of hardware failure, assuming any apps you are running work with a new server operating system, and assuming the server in question meets the minimum hardware requirements.
In other cases, it can be easier to install a clean copy of a new operating system like Windows Server 2012 (on a physical box or virtual machine), then migrate the roles, files, permissions, or applications over to the new server before retiring your old hardware.
Moving to the Cloud is also an option that should be explored. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to move servers to a hosted environment, now might be the perfect time. Talk to us about moving to the Cloud or reaping the benefits of Microsoft’s Office 365. Moving to the Cloud not only eliminates hardware costs, it also allows your business to be more agile.
Upgrading can be a staged transition. Follow the steps below to get your business in the right direction.
Discover:
- Understand and identify which applications and workloads are currently running on Windows Server 2003 today.
Assess:
- Categorize the identified applications and workloads by type, importance, risk factor and degree of complexity.
Target:
- Based on the above assessment, determine the migration destination for each application and workload, either in the cloud or a datacenter.
Migrate:
Build your migration plan – do it yourself or collaborate with PKML Professional Services.
Read some of our latest blog posts:
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IDC Whitepaper:
The following whitepaper outlines IDC’s recommendations for customers using Windows Server 2003. The paper explores the Windows migration options that are available to customers and the benefits they can expect...
Windows 2003 Server EOL
Suffering the same fate as Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 will be the end of life in July 2015. This should not come as a surprise, as Microsoft recommended customers commence...
Windows Server 2012 and Windows Azure
With the release of the new server platform, Windows Server 2012 and the improvements and future release of Windows Azure, Microsoft are looking to have a full end-to-end solution for...
Not sure where to start? Talk to our migration specialists today.
Enjoy a stress free Windows Server 2003 migration by leverage from our experienced team who provide:
- Comprehensive project management that is on time and on budget
- 24/7 Australian-based IT support and on-going maintenance
- Flexible payment options
- Guaranteed response times so you’re never left waiting.
