On 14th July 2015, Microsoft will end support for all versions of Windows Server 2003, meaning that Microsoft will no longer offer the following:
- Security patches that help protect PCs from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software
- Assisted technical support from Microsoft
- Software and content updates
Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 customers who are on up-to-date maintenance can be reassured that their Windows Server 2003 machines will still be protected from the latest malware, even after July 14th. We strongly encourage customers to leverage all the protection layers within SEP including Network Threat Protection, Insight, and SONAR. In addition, we suggest taking advantage of the policy control features, such as Application Control, System Lockdown, and Host Integrity for added protection.
We recognize that organizations sometimes stick with their legacy Windows systems even after the support ends because they want to avoid the risk of downtime caused by changing an OS across the entire organization. Migrating to a new OS can also be manpower-intensive, and can lead to time and cost overruns. However, we recommend that customers migrate to a supported system as soon as possible, not only for better protection, but also to avoid possible instability issues due to compatibility issues with newer hardware and software.
To learn more about how you can secure and migrate your Windows Server 2003 effectively with Symantec, visit go.symantec.com/2003migration
Other Resource:
How Windows Server 2003 End of Support affects Symantec Endpoint Protection[SP1]