Exchange Server 2003 retires, 14 April 2009

Paul Brennan:18/02/2009 14:52:36

One of the most influential software products in server history, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, will be retired from what Microsoft terms, Mainstream Support on 14 April 2009.

Microsoft will continue to provide security fixes for Exchange Server 2003 until 2014 but will no longer offer no-charge incident support on the platform, so Exchange Server 2003 database problems are about to get a whole lot more painful to resolve.

Exchange Server 2003 was the product that brought mobile communications to the mass market.  Not only did it link to Blackberry devices, but it spawned an industry of non-proprietary mobile phones all able to send and receive email via the corporate mail system.  Legacy Exchange features, like Outlook Web Access, were overhauled as the reach of secure communications stretched across industry sectors, company sizes and location dependence. 

The platform moved onto Exchange Server 2007, when Microsoft drew a line under 32-bit technology, only working on 64-bit hardware and operating systems, accruing a host of reliability and performance benefits as well as new user features.

If you are still using Exchange Server 2003 it’s time to update your IT roadmap.