NOTICE: Remove Windows Server 2003 machines from U-M networks

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

This information was sent to U-M Windows Administrators and the IT Security Community on July 15, 2015.

Hello Windows Administrators and IT Security Community,

Microsoft ended its support for Windows Server 2003 yesterday and no longer issues security updates for any version of Windows Server 2003. See Microsoft: Migration is worth it! for information from Microsoft.

If machines or services you are responsible for still use Windows Server 2003, please remove them from U-M networks until they are upgraded.

You can order Windows Server products for U-M through the university's Microsoft Campus Agreement. If your server is used to access or maintain U-M sensitive institutional data, be sure to follow the instructions in Windows Server Hardening Guide: Minimum Expectations for a Secure Server at U-M.

Depending on your needs, you might consider using the MiServer virtual server environment managed by ITS instead of running your own Windows Server.

At the U-M Health System (UMHS), Medical School Information Services (MSIS) implemented an upgrade plan for the computers it manages/controls and communicated directly with customers. If you need help with a system running Windows Server 2003 that is connected to the UMHS network, please contact the appropriate service desk:

The ITS Information and Infrastructure Assurance team is scanning the U-M Network for devices running Windows Server 2003. Devices running out-of-date, unsupported software should NOT be connected to U-M networks or systems.

Thank you for your help, 
Don

Donald J. Welch, Ph.D., 
Chief Information Security Officer, 
University of Michigan

For assistance or questions, contact the ITS Service Center.