This seems to be the year of dead ends for Microsoft products. If are starting to feel that way, due to all the hubbub around Windows XP, Office 2003, Windows Server 2003, Windows 8.1, and others, don't worry you're not alone. Many companies are tasked with migrating older products this year.
There are those companies that adopt new products quickly, but that's rare. Surprisingly, based on a recent survey myITforum provided in cooperation with Microsoft, those using System Center Configuration Manager are among a high percentage of new product adopters:
And, that's good since all versions of Configuration Manager 2007 (Gold, SP1, SP2, R2, and R3) leave mainstream support on July 8, 2014. Shown in the stats, the latest version of Configuration Manager (2012 and 2012 R2) has been well received. That's not to say there aren't product problems (there are), but could simply mean that the 2007 version had more problems customers were anxious to get away from.
Still, there's a little under 20% of customers using Configuration Manager 2007. Since, end of support comes next month, it will be valuable for those companies to invest in resources to help with the migration. Here's a couple resources that will be invaluable to those companies:
Configuration Manager Email Support List – Hugely popular, the subscriber based is around 6,000 members. It's a high volume list, but you can get an answer to a problem in minutes, 24 hours a day.
Configuration Manager Forums – The forums are a great place to search for existing solutions or to post questions. You can't expect as quick a response as from the email list, but with over 37,000 registered users and almost 149,000 posts, there's a lot of useful information.
