Do you ever stop and think about how quickly technology changes? It steadily moves and is continually upgraded. Think about where technology was just ten years ago; a lot has changed through the course of a decade.
Support for Server 2003 is set to expire in July of 2015. Other technologies have changed drastically in the past ten years, and servers are no exception. This is why those running on Server 2003 need to consider an upgrade soon strongly.
Here is a quick look where technology was a decade ago:
Camera Phones:
In 2003, camera phones emerged into the marketplace. They were a communication innovation by allowing pictures to be sent instantly.
Apple iTunes:
2003 was the year that iTunes was introduced. This platform has forever changed the music industry. Here is a look at iTunes through the past decade
Server 2003 :
The minimum requirements to install Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition were:
A Pentium II 300-megahertz (MHz)-or-compatible processor
256 megabytes of RAM
4 gigabytes of available hard disk space
A CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM drive
A network adapter from the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 HCL
A video graphics adapter from the Windows Server 2003 HCL that can support 256 colors and a resolution of 800 by 600 dpi
Today the system recommendations for Windows Server are 40GB Full installation or 10GB Server Core installation, 2GB RAM or higher and 2GHZ or faster dual core.
Consider the extent of the advancements made by cell phones and Apple; servers have made extensive changes as well.
Microsoft has extended support for Server 2003 until July of 2015. After this date, Server 2003 will no longer be supported by Microsoft.
There is still time for small businesses to construct and implement a plan to upgrade from Server 2003 before its expiration in 2015.