Microsoft Exchange 2003 – End of Life Notification

Support for an integral part of the popular SBS 2003 ceases

Support for Microsoft Exchange 2003 is being withdrawn with effect from 8th April 2014; the same end of life deadline as Windows XP.  This demise will require some organisations to rethink their approach to their email solution.

Implications
If your business still uses Exchange 2003, please note that as of 8th April 2014 Microsoft will no longer provide patches or security fixes for this product.

Needless to say, this may impact your email server and the security of your emails as any newly discovered flaws or vulnerabilities will no longer be remedied by Microsoft. In addition, as your email server requires a public internet presence to function properly, the system is at a higher risk of being attacked than if the machine was protected behind a firewall.

The Way Forward
Email servers running Exchange 2003 will continue to function suitably beyond the end of support date, you will still be able to send and receive emails as you do now and all other features will still operate correctly.  Due to the increased security implications, Corbel however would recommend that you upgrade the email server to a supported version or alternatively consider an option such as hosted email.

Act Now
It is estimated that a typical migration from Exchange 2003 can take up to a period of three months to deliver. There is still time to take action and retain the security and integrity of your data and systems, please Contact our Sales Team at Corbel Solutions on 01437 241515 to discuss options and find the best fit for your technical infrastructure.