PAUL READ, managing director of specialist IT consultancy Aaland Ltd, of Brackenholme Business Park, near Selby, warns of the dangers of relying on an outdated computer system.

COMPANY bosses be warned. If your computer systems rely on Windows/NT4 you might heading for trouble.

That operating system was officially retired from July 1, 2002 and Microsoft announced that unless you had problems with security, fixes would not be available.

What's more, applications such as Exchange/2003, are not supported on Windows/NT.

Even upgrading the underlying server hardware is becoming increasingly difficult as manufacturers cease providing support for their systems.

Consequently, moving from Windows/NT and Windows/2000 Server to Windows/2003 should be given serious consideration.

The greater functionality of Windows/2003 plus higher levels of security make this change a serious exercise not to be entered into lightly. This is especially important as most organisations will need to take a gradual approach rather than attempt to make the change all at once.

Also, many will be using technologies requiring careful design and integration skills for a successful change. One such area is Active Directory.

Active Directory is Microsoft's replacement for the security system implemented in Windows/NT4.

Greater security and scalability are among the many reasons for its introduction but higher complexity is the price we pay. Consequently, migrating from Windows/NT or upgrading from Windows/2000 is not usually as simple as inserting a CD and clicking OK.

However, Active Directory does have many benefits and one of these is the ease of systems management that can be achieved. Active Directory also conforms to Open Standards making it accessible and beneficial in a wider range of applications.

For those organisations that already have Active Directory, awareness of the complexities of recovering from a system failure is advisable to avoid embarrassing or potentially expensive mistakes.

Why not attend a technology briefing to find out more?

Updated: 11:04 Tuesday, October 26, 2004