The company is getting ready to pull the plug on Windows Server 2003 in July 2015, so new upgrades are needed

Nov 19, 2014 10:42 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows XP this year on April 8 and is getting ready to do the same for Windows Server 2003 in July 2015, so the company pushes users to new platforms on every single occasion.

In Windows XP’s case, Microsoft recommended everyone to switch to Windows 7 or Windows 8, touting their security improvements as the main reason for this advice. But as far as Windows Server 2003 is concerned, the company wants everyone to move to Windows Server 2012 R2 or go directly to Microsoft Azure, a solution that eventually all customers might agree with.

But in the meantime, some of the 10 million Windows Server 2003 machines might actually be upgraded to a non-Windows platform and the most obvious choice is undoubtedly Linux.

Digitimes reports today servers makers based in Taiwan expect to see an increase in demand in the upcoming months, but they also revealed that many of the systems currently running Windows Server 2003 might in the end go for Linux.

10 million Windows Server 2003 systems out there

Convincing users to upgrade from Windows Server 2003 to another server platform is definitely a challenge for Microsoft and it’s a sure thing that not everyone will be ready before the July 2015 deadline.

Statistics show that at this point there are 10 million Windows Server 2003 machines out there and the server market is continuously increasing, so maintaining the same market share in this particular business could be quite a challenge for the Redmond-based tech giant.

IDC data reveals that in the second quarter of 2014, the server business generated $12.6 billion (10 billion euro) in revenues, an increase of 2.5 percent as compared to the same period of the previous month. A total of 2.2 million units were sold during this timeframe.

Windows XP still a widely used OS

It’s not a secret that Microsoft went through really difficult times when it tried to convince users to upgrade from Windows XP to a newer client OS.

Back in April, when Microsoft officially pulled the plug on Windows XP, the ancient operating system was still powering more than 27 percent of the desktop computers worldwide, but its market share dropped each month to eventually reach 17 percent in October.

As far as the client desktop business is concerned, Linux is still far behind Windows, with Microsoft’s operating system said to power more than 90 percent of the PC market, followed by Mac OS X with approximately 7 percent.

Windows vs. Linux in the desktop client business (6 Images)

Windows XP continues to be the second top OS in the world
Ubuntu has often been described as a fierce Windows rivalUbuntu 13 in action
+3more