14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Server 2003 officially reached end of support on July 14, so servers that are still running this version will no longer get patches, which basically makes them vulnerable to attacks if any new security hole is found.
Some companies that are yet to upgrade prefer to pay Microsoft for extended support, which would basically keep their servers protected until the move to a newer OS version is completed, and it turns out that the software giant is working to make this option a bit more affordable.
A report by ZDNet and citing Microsoft customers that are still on Windows Server 2003 (and who have negotiated with the company a potential custom support deal) reveals that the Redmond-based giant is offering discounts to those who want extended support for a limited period of time.
Free support also being offered with a catch
In some cases, the cost of custom support per server reaches $3,000, but Microsoft is reportedly cutting this price down to $1,500 per server for the first year. What's more, some say that Microsoft is willing to give new patches free of charge if customers agree with an upgrade deal and other conditions.
“One customer told me they were told that $3,000 for the first year was the 'list price' and MS wouldn't go below that -- unless, of course, the customer agreed to sign up for some other expensive and unnecessary stuff. In that case they'd cut it to $1,500. One very large customer told me they were being quoted $600 (per server),” Paul DeGroot, principal consultant at Pica Communications, was quoted as saying.
The same thing happened for Windows XP users too last year when the OS reached end of support, with some customers getting special deals if they agreed to upgrade to a specific Windows version, in most of the cases Windows 8.1, at the end of the contract.
Microsoft has never disclosed the price of custom support, but it's believed that in Windows XP's case, it was around $300 per PC in the first year, with the price to double for the second and triple in the third.