14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows Server 2003 on July 14, so from now on, this particular Windows version no longer gets updates and security patches, which means that servers still running it could become vulnerable to attacks if an unpatched flaw is found.
Unsurprisingly, there are many organizations that are yet to upgrade, and Australian state Victoria is one of them. The Victorian Government has recently agreed to a deal to pay $4.4 million for extended Windows Server 2003 support, as they still have an undisclosed number of computers running this particular OS version.
According to Delimiter, CenITex, Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police agencies are all included in the deal, which should bring them additional patches and fixes for Windows Server 2003 computers for another year.
And the Victorian government is not the only one that’s still on Windows Server 2003 despite the warnings received from Microsoft and its partners prior to the July 14 end of support date.
Studies show that at least 20 percent of the business in Australia are still running their servers on Windows Server 2003, and what’s worse, 25 percent of the IT decision makers working for these companies weren’t even aware that Microsoft planned to end support for this old OS version.