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Why It Makes Sense To Upgrade To Windows Server 2008 As a consultant I often visit small and midsize businesses. However I am left amazed when I see that these guys are reluctant to upgrade their server software. I have seen many companies that are still relying on more than ten year old server software. Maybe these businesses have no idea that end-of-life of the existing Windows Server is coming. Anyways many owners think that upgrading is not required since the existing software is running well. They tell me that upgrading will be sheer waste of time and resources. However the truth is that they face problems now and then. And I am called frequently to fix those problems. Actually the issue with this scenario is that supporting these obsolete operating systems is almost impossible. Microsoft will in the near future stop offering its support to these operating systems. And in case they give the support businesses will be forced to pay a large support fee. A time will come when this support will also be not sufficient. In June 2005 we saw the end of Windows Server 2000 life cycle and with that its mainstream support ended. Simply put Microsoft withdrew its official support for any of its upcoming products. Businesses who were ready to pay for extended support were allowed to extend that to July 13 2010. But this extended support was feasible for those with business critical applications that would incur huge costs to upgrade. The same story was repeated with Windows Server 2003. Its life cycle ended on July 13 2010 and extended support was offereduntil July 14th 2015 if you were ready to pay. Upgrading to Windows Server 2008 Is A Viable Option If you analyze both options – Windows Server 2000 and Windows Server 2003 – both seem impracticable. The third option that is upgrading to Windows Server 2008 sounds viable because it delivers optimal performance in most cases on lower cost hardware. Plus comes with improved security features compared to older server

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operating systems. Another great feature of this OS is remote user support. It allows users to work remotely both securely and easily. Simply put this OS improves employee productivity and operational efficiency. Microsoft will continue to support this OS till 2015. Furthermore the operating system will transition to Extended Support in January 2015. In short Microsoft will offer extended Windows Server Support 2008 after it reaches end-of-life. Seeing all the upsides opting for Windows Server 2008 makes sense for both small as well as midsize businesses.