Clock ticking for any Server 2003 still out there...

MICROSOFT HAS WARNED that another of its products is reaching the end of the trail after the countdown to end of life for Windows Server 2003 hit the three-month mark but hopefully most IT administrators should be aware that Windows Server 2003 will reach its end-of-life by July 2015.

After this date, this product will no longer receive:

• Security patches that help protect PCs from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software
• Assisted technical support from Microsoft
• Software and content updates

All software products have a lifecycle. End of support refers to the date when Microsoft will no longer provide automatic fixes, updates, or online technical assistance. As of July 2014, there were 12 million physical servers worldwide still running Windows Server 2003, none of which i may add are SBS supported schools! Computer systems running unsupported software are exposed to an elevated risk to cybersecurity dangers, such as malicious attacks or electronic data loss. Users may also encounter problems with software and hardware compatibility since new software applications and hardware devices may not be built for Windows Server 2003.  Below is the lifecycle table for Windows server 2003.

Products Released	Lifecycle Start Date	Mainstream Support End Date	Extended Support End Date	Service Pack Support End Date	Notes
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition (32-Bit x86)	05/03/2006	13/07/2010	14/07/2015	14/04/2009
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition with Service Pack 2	13/03/2007	Review Note	Review Note		Support ends 24 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first. For more information, please see the service pack policy here .
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition	05/03/2006	13/07/2010	14/07/2015	14/04/2009
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition with Service Pack 2	13/03/2007	Review Note	Review Note		Support ends 24 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first. For more information, please see the service pack policy here .
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition (32-Bit x86)	05/03/2006	13/07/2010	14/07/2015	14/04/2009
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition	05/03/2006	13/07/2010	14/07/2015	14/04/2009
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition (32-bit x86)	05/03/2006	13/07/2010	14/07/2015	14/04/2009
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition	05/03/2006	13/07/2010	14/07/2015	14/04/2009