Insight: Windows Server migration harder than XP

Reseller claims 24 million servers could be affected by end of support

Microsoft's ending of support for Windows Server 2003 will be more time consuming and more complex than the end of support for Windows XP, according to Insight.

The end of support for the product could potentially impact 24 million servers running in small and large businesses and has a greater reach than the end of support for Windows XP because it affects more than just desktops, David Mayer, practice director for Microsoft solutions for Insight Enterprises said.

"While XP was primarily a desktop issue, Server 2003 end of service affects entire servers, with the potential to have widespread impact on many more business operations," he said.

End of support falls on 14 July 2015, giving firms under a year to begin addressing the issue.

An estimated 39 per cent of all installed Microsoft Server operating systems are the 2003 edition and 37 critical updates were released for Windows 2003 in 2013.

Insight pointed out that operating outdated server software systems is risky and expensive. "Threats to datacentres running the outdated software will likely increase and businesses will have to deal with added costs for intrusion detection systems, more advanced firewalls and network segmentation," the firm said.

To deal with such issues, it suggests a phased approach of first discovery and analysis to uncover which servers and applications are operating on the software, then actual migration via software upgrades, hardware upgrades and cloud-based solutions, and finally, monitoring to ensure zero downtime and zero negative impact through post migration monitoring for 24-48 hours.

"There isn't one solution for all businesses," Mayer pointed out. "Based on our experience, we're seeing this issue cut across all industries and company sizes, and every business may need to budget time, finances and human resources to address it.

"Whether the businesses we work with choose to replace servers, upgrade software or migrate to the cloud, there are critical decisions to be made that could take a good part of the coming year to address."