Daily Archives: November 2, 2010

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Upcoming Support Transitions for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003

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The past couple of months have been very busy for the Support Lifecycle team…  Unfortunately, due to other commitments, I haven’t had an opportunity to post to the blog in quite some time.  It’s been great to receive the friendly prodding for a new post from folks who had previously been regular readers of the blog.   I’ll do my best to get back to a regular posting rhythm over the next couple of weeks.  I’ve also invited other members of the Support Lifecycle team to join-in and occasionally post.  This should help ensure that we keep a regular posting cadence.  Thanks to everyone for their continued interest and all of the reminders!

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In today’s post, I want to highlight important upcoming support transitions for Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows Server 2003.

All editions of Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional will reach the end of the Extended Support phase on July 13, 2010.  After this date, Windows 2000 will no longer be publicly supported.  This means that Microsoft will no longer provide any assisted support and will no longer provide security updates for this product.  Self-Help Online Support (including the knowledge base and other articles on https:://support.microsoft.com) will continue to be available for a minimum of 12 months after this date.

This means that customers only have another 1.5 years to complete their migrations away from Windows 2000.  If you haven’t already started to plan your migrations, I’d recommend considering this fairly soon.  You don’t want to get caught in a situation where you’re still running Windows 2000 for a critical application and not be eligible for any type of support.

Additionally, all editions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 will transition from the Mainstream Support phase to the Extended Support phase on July 13, 2010.  These products will continue to be publicly supported in the Extended Support phase through July 14, 2015.  Please keep in mind that customers without Software Assurance, who wish to enroll for Extended Hotfix Support, must do so within 90 days of the end of Mainstream Support.

This is probably also a good time to remind everyone that Windows XP is also transitioning to the Extended Support phase on April 14, 2009.

Each of these support transitions are follow the Support Lifecycle policy and have previously been announced.  In most cases, I hope this information doesn’t come as a surprise.

Next time, I’ll explain a little more about our Extended Hotfix Support program for DST.  If you have any other topic suggestions, or any general policy questions that you’d like addressed on the blog, please let us know!

*This posting is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights.*

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Is Microsoft really going to keep pricing for Custom Support flat in 2010?

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We’ve received many questions regarding our recent announcement to keep Custom Support prices flat for the 2010 contract year.  In resposne to this we’ve compiled the following list of Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Microsoft really going to keep pricing for Custom Support flat in 2010?
The answer is YES….  Microsoft is aware that customers are making hard financial choices in today’s economy.  Every day there is news of Fortune 100 company layoffs, downsizing and reorganization. Microsoft has announced flat year-over-year (YOY) pricing for Custom Support for select products and service packs in Custom Support for 2010.

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What IS Custom Support anyway, I never heard of it!
The Custom Support program provides customers with the opportunity to receive support on legacy versions of some Microsoft products and service packs that have reached the end of support.

Why is Microsoft doing this?
To respond to the current market downturn and customer needs, Microsoft is not going to increase the price for the 2010 contract year, but will maintain the 2008 pricing.

How does this decision help customers?
This price freeze not only provides cost savings to Microsoft customers but enables them to maintain support on older versions of Microsoft products until they have had the opportunity to complete their migration to supported versions.

Is Custom Support available for ALL legacy Microsoft products?
No, Custom Support is currently only available for a select number of products.  For details on which products are covered, please contact your Microsoft Technical Account Manager or other Microsoft Account Representative.

Can any customer purchase Custom Support?
Only customers enrolled in Premier Support can purchase Custom Support. To learn more about Premier Support, point your browser here:
http://www.microsoft.com/services/Microsoftservices/srv_premier.mspx

I still have questions and need more information.  Who do I contact?
If you still have questions, please contact your Microsoft Technical Account Manager or other Microsoft Account Representative.  They will be able to provide you with additional details on the Custom Support program and the impact of this annoucement.

I hope this information helps to clarify the situation.  If you have other questions, please feel free to leave a comment to this posting!  We will do our best to answer them.

*This posting is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights.*