Over the past few months, as press releases and pitches arrived in my inbox on the topic of Windows Server 2003, the opportunity it presented for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), ISVs, and other IT solution providers was often linked with the descriptor “once-in-a-lifetime.”
As so-called once-in-a-lifetime opportunities have come and gone (remember Y2K?), the phrase tends to lose some meaning. But the end of service for Windows Server 2003 really can be an opportunity — and if not the biggest of your lifetime, perhaps, at least, a significant one.
The Magnitude of the Market
As of about a year ago, Microsoft reported there were 24 million instances of Windows Server 2003 running on 12 million physical servers. As of March, Spiceworks reported, only 15 percent of businesses surveyed had migrated fully and 48 percent had partially migrated. So, 37 percent plus businesses that were partially there a few months ago, minus progress over the past two months — don’t forget to factor in procrastination — and multiply it times millions: you can conclude there are probably at least some businesses in your area that could use your help as service ends on July 14.
The Path to New Technologies
Probably more important than the magnitude of the market is the nature of it. The change for most businesses likely will not be a simple upgrade. Rather, as an opportunity to consider moving some workloads to the cloud, employing virtualization, or perhaps looking at current processes and changing them to something more efficient, it will be a path to new technologies.
Unless your client or prospect is schooled on all the options available and which is the best choice for each application, they will need your advice. And each choice of a new technology will also be the consideration of whether your client has the expertise (or desire) to manage and maintain it. Again, they might need you, maybe on an ongoing basis, providing new opportunities for recurring revenue. For businesses with programs that won’t run on a 64-bit OS, they need alternatives and a plan to transition to the new application. Securing your client’s environment throughout the migration process will be important to your clients in the current climate of cyberattacks and heightened awareness of the risks of a data breach. And your clients will need help to accomplish all of this while minimizing disruptions to their business operations.
The Opportunity for Solution Providers
For solution providers who are trusted advisors to their clients — or for those who realize successfully helping a business through this migration could firmly cement them as trusted advisors — the real benefits could come from the long-term, on-going relationships developing during this project. You might need to begin at square one with some of your clients, advising them why they need to leave Windows Server 2003 behind at all — explaining that continuing to use it could mean risking system downtime, security vulnerabilities, or noncompliance with their industry’s standards or regulations. For others you might begin by helping them narrow their options and then choosing the best ways to move forward. For others, you might be asked to accomplish the plan they’ve devised. But regardless of the starting point, your client will turn to you for advice and your expertise.
Are you a solution provider who is looking to add more managed services to your offerings? Do you offer all of the SaaS solutions your cloud-bound clients are looking for? Are you ready to onboard your clients that had previously worked with you on an as-needed basis to service plans? Is it time to begin offering security or analytics solutions? This could be the perfect excuse.
Considering the EOS, heightened awareness of the need for security, ever-increasing cloud options, and according to CompTIA’s 4th Annual Trends in Managed Services Study, growing acceptance of managed services among businesses, this is, at the least, an extraordinary opportunity. Will you take it?
Bernadette Wilson is the associate editor of Business Solutions, a magazine that inspires executives of IT channel companies (VARs, integrators, MSPs, and ISVs) to grow their businesses by teaching them how to sell new IT products and services, penetrate thriving vertical markets, and integrate complementary technologies. Visit BSMinfo.com.
