US-Cert warns of end of support Windows Server 2003

US-Cert has warned companies and organizations that Microsoft will stop supporting Windows Server 2003 from July 14 next year. As a result, users of the server OS will no longer receive security updates from that date.

In addition to stopping the rollout of security updates, Microsoft will also no longer provide support for Windows Server 2003. Also, due to the end of the product lifecycle, software will no longer be updated. Servers that continue to run on Windows Server 2003 after July 14, 2015 are therefore more vulnerable. US-Cert therefore advises companies and organizations to timely migrate to more recent operating systems or to opt for software that runs within cloud platforms.

According to figures from Microsoft, approximately 12 million physical servers worldwide were still running a version of Windows Server 2003 in July of this year. The software giant has set up an information section on its website that helps users of the outdated operating system on their way to migrate to Windows, among others. Server 2012, SQL Server 2014 and Microsoft System Center 2012. The cloud platform Azure is also mentioned as a possible alternative.