With the extended support period for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 nearing its end on 14 July 2015, many South African companies have not yet moved from this outdated platform, says Microsoft South Africa. Not only will this put them at risk once support ends, it also means they are running outdated technology that cannot effectively support innovation within the business.
Andre de Beer, Cloud Solutions Architect at Microsoft South Africa, says: "We see a level of apathy around upgrading from Windows Server 2003 in South Africa. This may be partly due to the fact that customers feel - rightly so - that the end of support will not necessarily 'stop everything', particularly if they are running it in an isolated legacy environment. However, it will change their risk profile and it does prevent them harnessing the latest technologies."
De Beer points out Windows Server 2003 design began over 10 years ago, when a number of current technologies were not yet mainstream and before 9/11 increased global security awareness. "In the years that followed the design of Windows Server 2003, technologies became significantly more secure. With solutions such as Windows Server 2012, businesses are able to run their systems in a more agile, secure and cost-effective way, and are positioned to innovate using its advanced features."
HP Technology Services points out Windows Server 2012 - along with Microsoft System Center 2012 - delivers significant new functionality in the areas of virtualisation, private cloud, enhanced security and high availability, plus system and storage management. Among its features are that it offers multi-server capabilities, which make it easy to deploy roles and features remotely to physical and virtual servers. Storage Spaces, another new Server 2012 feature, lets customer use inexpensive hard drives to create a storage pool, which can then be divided into spaces that are used like physical disks.
South African businesses may also be proving slow to migrate off Windows Server 2003 because of fears around the complexity of the move.
De Beer says Microsoft's Azure cloud platform presents a solution. Microsoft Azure, supporting both infrastructure-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service, can be used to help customers make the move from Windows Server 2003. "Customers may, for example, need a place to test the new environment. By using Azure, they can create a risk-free environment for testing, on a pay-per-use basis," says De Beer. "In addition, many Windows Server 2003 applications still in use are Web-based applications. Microsoft has developed a migration suite to simplify conversion of these applications to be run on the Azure platform." Customers upgrading from Windows Server 2003 to Microsoft Azure also ensure compliance."
Azure also supports a hybrid cloud model by making it simple for customers to move back and forth between the cloud and on-premises as needed.
"Local customers can test Azure in a free, 30-day trial available at http://azure.microsoft.com. They can also contact Microsoft or its local partner ecosystem for support in mapping their current environment and planning their migration. It is important that they realise they are not alone in making the move from Windows Server 2003 - there is help out there," says De Beer.
Eugene De Souza, RegionalStrategic Alliances Manager(RSA/Africa) at HP Enterprise Group, says HP is positioned to help customers reduce the complexity, time and risk associated with migrating applications and infrastructure. "We are seeing increased demand from South African customers for Windows Server EOS Migration workshops to help them understand their individual environments and the interdependencies between various applications as they prepare to migrate from Windows Server 2003. These workshops are being delivered today by HP Technology Services Consulting and our HP channel partners."
In addition to the assistance available from local HP specialists, De Souza recommends reviewing the following materials as a background to understanding what steps will be needed to successfully migrate from Windows Server 2003, and the benefits of moving to Windows Server 2012:
Joint HP|MS Windows Server 2003 Migration Business Benefits Video:
Joint HP|MS Windows Server 2003 Migration Technical Considerations Video:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb977556.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/products/windows-server-2003/
http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2014/10/28/migrate-your-websites-to-azure-in-just-a-few-clicks/
For small and midsized businesses, HP and Microsoft have co-developed HP Flexbundles which support clients with a platform for Windows Server 2012 with Hyper-V. (http://www8.hp.com/h20195/V2/getdocument.aspx?docname=4AA5-0765ENW&cc=us&lc=en)
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