It's less than a year to go until 2023, when a number of Microsoft software packages reach End of Life and so if your company is using any of them, now is the ideal time to take action.
Most businesses nowadays rely on Microsoft software to help run their daily activities – for emails, documents, the company server and the PCs themselves. However, from 2023 some of the most popular Microsoft business software packages reach 'End of Life' and will no longer be supported. If your company is using any of them, it could lead to major problems for you in the future.
It includes the following software:
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2013
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
In addition to this, the following Microsoft software is due to reach the end of its extended support programme in January 2023:
• Microsoft Windows 8.1
• Microsoft Office 2013
Each product in the Microsoft software portfolio has a Life Cycle Start Date, a Mainstream Support End Date and an Extended Support End Date, spanning roughly an 8-10 year period. Following the expiration of End of Life or Extended Support, Microsoft will no longer support, fix or provide security updates and patches for the software. They will abandon it in order to focus their teams on supporting newer software.
Those businesses that do not upgrade in time could be in danger of all sorts of data protection problems, especially the following: being vulnerable to hackers and cybercrime; losing productivity to downtime and being open to prosecution under GDPR (for using out of date software).
If you are unsure as to whether or not your business is running any of this software, it's worth finding out as soon as possible. We have written a new guide, Microsoft 2023 End of Life Products that covers how to check which software you’re using, explains End of Life in more detail and the actions you can take now to avoid your business being affected.
Click on the image to download our guide or head to the Resources section where you can also find it to down load.
Since upgrades can take a lot of planning and time to implement properly, the sooner you start preparations, the better it will be for your organisation. By taking action now, your chances of a seamless transition are really improved. Additionally, there are numerous benefits to upgrading your software as not only will it give your business a new lease of life, as new versions of software have all sorts of productivity tools that can cut down the time you spend on processes, it will save you money in the long run and give you a competitive edge.
As a registered Gold Microsoft Partner, we are happy to advise you on the next steps to take to upgrade your software. If you wish to get in touch, please contact one of our sales team on sales@ntsols.com or 01252 235 235.
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