Some owners of Microsoft Office 2003 have recently awoke to the surprise of finding that their office suite would not let them into the program. What likely happened is that a certificate had expired. When you purchase a program like Microsoft Office, there are authorization certificates that let the software know that this is a genuine copy of the program. If this certificate is not there or expires, the owner will be locked out of the program.

This situation can be fixed quickly since it is usually just a mistake. The expired certificate will be replaced with a new certificate that will one day also expire. With the possibility of being locked out of the programs that you own, is this a sign that a change in platforms might be needed?

It is highly probable that Microsoft will be in business long after we are all gone. Nonetheless, what would happen to your office suite and documents if Microsoft was not there to maintain these certificates anymore? For many, their businesses and personal files are attached to this one company staying in business and still updating this type of information.

This could be a high risk for some especially if they need a document on a moment's notice. One thing that a business could do is to change platforms completely. This would mean to leave Microsoft Office and replace it with a program that does not require authorization certificates. Something like Open Office, a free and open source program that could never do this to its users ensuring that their documents can be opened, edited, and read for years to come.

Many Office 2003 owners have had a certificate that expired locking them out of the program for a period of time. Building your business on a software that can do this to you temporarily or even forever might not be the best practice. It might be time to start looking into switching platforms.