Microsoft will soon discontinue technical support for Windows Server 2003 and CSRA-based small business owners that delay updating their servers may well expose their businesses and more importantly, patients and customers, to unnecessary risk. Businesses worldwide run an estimated 23.8 million physical and virtual instances of Windows Server 2003, according to data released by Microsoft in July 2014.

Microsoft has announced that as of July 14, 2015, it will discontinue support for its 11-year-old server operation system, Server 2003. This follows in the wake of its recent discontinuation of support for Windows XP this past spring. Failure to upgrade your server off of this operating system dramatically increases any company’s cyber-security risks.

So what's the big rush? With server migrations taking an average of 200 days from planning to completion, it's actually later than most people think. If you still have a server running this software active on your network, now is the time to take action and start planning.

End of support for Windows Server 2003 means:

- No further updates or security patches released. 37 critical updates were released for Server 2003 in 2013 alone. No updates will be released after 7/14/15.

- Loss of compliance. Various industry regulations such as HIPAA and FINRA, and many industry standards will no longer be able to be achieved if you are using Server 2003 actively on your network.

- Increased security risks. Any server running this operating system will be completely exposed to serious hacker attacks aimed at taking control of your network, stealing your data or crashing your systems.

For questions or comments, you can reach Kevin at (706) 722-2024 or via email at [email protected]

Kevin Wade is the founder and President/CEO of IntelliSystems. Founded in 1993, IntelliSystems specializes in business IT services, telecommunication systems, cabling and wireless contracting, cloud services, and backup and disaster recovery management. Kevin has over twenty-eight years of experience advising business clients with the most productive deployment of their computer and telephone technology.