Microsoft has announced that Windows Server 2003 is approaching its end of life. The official date of the end of extended support is July 14, 2015. This includes all versions of WS2003 and all the sub-editions. Microsoft will no longer provide patches, security updates, support or technical updates, and you also won’t be able to receive online technical assistance. Upkeep costs for older hardware will inevitably increase. Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 will also be affected.

“It’s time for a change”

The solution is to upgrade your server software to Windows Server 2012 R2 or to Microsoft Azure, if you want to switch to the Cloud. WS2003 was very stable, but this is no longer enough in today’s highly dynamic, Cloud-oriented world. A lot of enterprises still use WS2003, and it’s running on millions of systems; running applications on a server that has no support is very risky from a business standpoint. Do not wait for the last minute to migrate – rushing the process can result in many problems, errors, security issues, etc.

Migrating from WS2003 is an investment into your company’s safe future.

Cloud computing is a broader term for the delivery of scalable, hosted services through the Internet. It’s a kind of Internet-based computing environment where servers, storage and applications are delivered to computers and mobiles as a service. It’s based on sharing and optimizing computing resources. All data is stored on-line, so users can access it 24/7. All you need is an Internet connection.

In Europe, Cloud computing is still at its beginning. According to a study of the Eurostat, only 19% of enterprises use the Cloud. One of the main reasons why they moved to the Cloud is to reduce costs.

Cloud computing is one of the most outstanding tools that small and medium enterprises can utilize to gain a competitive edge and optimize costs.

Are you in the Cloud?

Advantages

You don’t have to pay somebody to maintain and update your software – everything is the Cloud vendor’s responsibility. There’s no need to purchase applications – it’s much more cost efficient to rent them via the Cloud, with all maintenance fixes and version upgrades included. Desktop software versions are usually more expensive and complex to license and manage. A good example of a Cloud service and application is Microsoft Office 365, which you can buy as an annual subscription. You’re able to choose a subscription plan that fits your exact needs (services, software, or both). Another example is Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online; a cloud suite of applications for managing Customer-related business processes for just a monthly per-user fee.

If you decide to take advantage of the Cloud, you don’t have to invest in a complex on-premises IT infrastructure. Cloud applications are updated and patched regularly, so you don’t have to waste your time and money on worrying about forward and backward compatibility. Cloud computing allows employees access to applications and data via  any of today’s relevant software platforms (Android, iOS, Windows). Without Cloud Services, when something is installed locally on a computer or server, users can usually access the program and content only from that specific computer or network. Therefore, it’s much more flexible and easier to use a Cloud application than to buy a server and all the required server software. The possibility of data loss in the Cloud is very low due to multiple layers of redundancy. Also, because of high-grade security mechanisms that Cloud providers employ, security risks are also minimized when using Cloud Services.

Summary

• Quick and easy implementation
• Cost reduction
• Service flexibility
• Mobility

Our brands Crohoster and Nodefusion have been redesigned. We published new web, Facebook and Twitter pages. New colors and modern logos are connected into a simple design.

Web pages are designed to be user friendly: a single page concept with simple navigation. You can easily find information that you are looking for. On the new Crohoster and Nodefusion web pages there is detailed information about the services we provide. If you’re interested in hosting and domains you should visit the Crohoster web page, and if you need VPS servers, SSL certifications there is the Nodefusion web page.

These information is available on the Crohoster and Nodefusion Facebook, as well as on the Twitter pages.

Why redesign?

After a couple of years, we decided to make some changes with our brands and their websites. The plan was to modernize and get a new look and feel. We are working on design and visual identity all the time, aiming for recognizability of the brands. The main goal was to reorganize whole websites to help visitors to find things easier.

“Less is more”

The decision was to focus on a minimalist flat design. Shadows, textures and gradients are old fashioned. Beside that, flat designed websites load faster. Colors have lower hue, which is more eye friendly. We hope you’ll like it.

Nowadays brand design trends change very fast and one has to be very agile to keep up. Our web shop visual identity longed for a new and fresh look. It’s very important to be recognizable, and we knew that the old logo just isn’t good enough for today’s brand design standards. We needed a memorable logo design that will stay with our customers and visitors for a long time.

Brainstorming

Together we discussed what to change. With the logo rebranding, our web shop needed a fresh coat of paint as well. So, we decided what will be removed from the site, and what will stay; what we like on the page and what we dislike. All ideas were noted down, along with sketch ideas. According to that, we developed user scenarios. It was important to connect the name of the web shop brand with its visual identity. Wrong design can confuse users, so it’s important to think well about design implications. At first, there was only one logo version. The final solution was improved and revised – that was the hardest part of the job. The whole creative process requires a lot of speculation, regardless of how simple the logo looks. So, the result was a new revamped logo with a cleaner look. The new logo represents stairs that symbolize stepping into action. In our case, the final action is the selection of the desired product or service. The name of the brand is written with thin typeface.

In according to the new visual identity of step2own, we also had to make a few adjustments on the web shop website. You can like and follow step2own on Facebook and Twitter.

Our web shop, step2own, has been open for service, license and software solution purchases since June 1^st. We offer IT services, Crohoster hosting packages, Nodefusion VPS servers and SSL certifications, Microsoft Electronic Software Distribution licenses and software solutions for Microsoft platforms such as Dynamics CRM, SharePoint etc.

Buy your Microsoft ESD license through our web shop. You can choose an Office 365 subscription in accordance to your requirements: Office 365 Personal, Office 365 Home. Besides that, you can purchase separate programs from the Microsoft Office suite: Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access, Excel, Publisher, Visio, Word. We offer Croatian and English versions.

Update your PC to Windows 8.1. Choose between Windows 8.1 LE and Windows 8.1 Pro.

For Mac users, we offer online product key licenses for Office Home and Student 2011 and Office Home Business 2011 packages.

Advantage of Electronic Software Distribution is direct purchasing, which means that you can download the software directly online. You can buy software at any time 24/7 (EU only).

If you’re not sure about the license you want to buy, purchase 1 work hour of consulting via phone or email on our step2own web shop.