Microsoft Migration: Why Should You Act Now

Be Ready to Move Forward with These Helpful, Handy Reminders

Melissa Curtis

Have you made a plan for Microsoft Windows 2003 Server end of support? Sure, July sounds warm, distant, and far away at the moment; but if you don’t plan for the future, it will happen anyway – with or without your servers being up to date. Decide on the front end how you will approach the migration with poise and grace.

You have a lot to look forward to with the new Microsoft offerings of 2015. Small Business Server 2011 is going away, but that’s okay – Microsoft is offering Windows Essentials 2012 and Windows Server Foundation 2012 in its place. Luckily, these two do not require CALs, so cheers to that! One less wrinkle on your forehead, right?

Microsoft’s smart changes to their products aren’t the only reason to move forward with your migration strategy. Without worry, you can make changes to the way you do business that are smarter and can also utilize more up-to-date technology. Take into consideration that 2003 was a long time ago. We’ve made huge strides forward in the last twelve years – not least of them being cloud technology.

In order to take full advantage, you will not be able to wait until the last minute. Even if you are a veteran procrastinator, now is the time to start planning ahead. Here are a few migration reminders as you consider your plan of attack:

  • Microsoft is moving to a client-access processing model. You will need to figure out if you are a Standard or a Datacenter user before the migration
  • Windows Server Enterprise, HPC, and Web Server Windows are being retired in the migration
  • If you have Assure on your Small Business Server 2011, you will be able to renew for a Windows Server 2012 Standard, Exchange Server 2010 or 2013 Standard, as well as the CAL
  • If you had the Premium add-on, you will also have the ability to renew SQL Server and SQL CAL to keep your environment current

Migration is a good thing as long as you are supplied and ready for the move. Now, go get started on your journey!

With the end of support date for Windows Server 2003 fast approaching, there’s never been a better time to plan your data center transformation. Our experts have designed this helpful tool to get you started on the right upgrade path for your unique environment, applications, and workloads.

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