Microsoft has Ended Support for Exchange 2010 and Office 2010, Now’s the Time to Switch to Microsoft 365
No more than three years ago, 82 percent of companies were still using a traditional version of Microsoft Office but as of the 19th of October this year, Microsoft switched off the lifeline for Office 2010 and Office 2016 for Mac. This means that those products will “no longer receive technical support, bug fixes, or security updates.” While you can continue using Office 2010 without Microsoft’s support, it means you’re opening your business up to increased security risks and compliance issues along with Outlook 2010 not connecting to the latest versions of Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft Exchange Online.
Also of note is the End of Life for Microsoft Exchange 2010. Installations of Exchange 2010 will continue to run after this date. However, because this version is no longer supported or patched for security vulnerabilities, we strongly recommend that you migrate from Exchange 2010 as soon as possible.
Why did Microsoft end support for Office 2010?
As with many other organisations, Microsoft is looking to make their products more agile and connected so they stay relevant in the ever changing digital environment. The best way to do this, is by moving to a subscription based cloud structure taking the forms of Office 365 and Microsoft 365. We’ll see the same additional benefits we see with other cloud services, like the ability for real-time collaboration, advanced creativity and innovation with the help of AI and machine learning, and some built-in security measures to help protect your data.
What’s the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?
In April this year, Microsoft announced that Office 365 would be renamed Microsoft 365 to better reflect the offering and what the business would like to stand for. Microsoft 365 includes all of the same applications as Office 365 but with additional features, like open access to Teams which was previously reserved for businesses.
In saying this, some Office 365 subscriptions (enterprise plans only) still stand, as does the Microsoft 365 Apps subscription. They each offer varying levels of access to the Office suite, collaboration programs, and threat and information protection.
What should I do if I want to switch to Microsoft 365?
Making the decision to move to any of the 365 offerings requires some careful consideration of your business’s requirements. Deployus can help determine which level of subscription will be best suited for you depending on how many employees you have, your location, how they’ll need to use the Office suite, your current IT infrastructure, and your current network and cloud tools.
Additionally, while Microsoft offers some security measures at the cloud level, it is still your responsibility to maintain proper data backups and security. Deployus has specialist knowledge of security strategies and programs to protect from both internal and external risks, as well as partnerships with Microsoft, Palo Alto, Duo and, Veeam. Implementation of additional security measures can be included as part of the unique strategy Deployus can create for your organisation.
If you’d like us to create a deployment strategy unique to your business, get in touch with us today via our contact form.