In 2020 (which is only 16 months away) some of the most commonly used Microsoft business software packages reach 'End of Life'. If your company is using any of them, it could lead to significant issues in the future. The software includes:

• Small Business Server 2011
• Windows Server 2008
• Exchange 2010
• Windows 7
• Office 2010

Here’s what “End of Life” actually means:

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 end of 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. Additionally, as the software will be out-dated it will no longer comply with GDPR and you will also be much more vulnerable to hackers.

We’re calling this the 2020 Problem.

If you are unsure whether or not your business is running any of this software, it's worth finding out as soon as possible. We estimate that 1 in 3 businesses rely on some of this software every day and since upgrades can take months to plan and implement properly, the sooner you do this, the more prepared your business will be. Upgrading your software before it reaches End of Life is a necessity if you want to mitigate against operational downtime.

We’ve written a guide called 'The 2020 Problem' that explains End of Life in more detail, how you can check which software you are running and why you shouldn’t wait until 2020 to do something about it. You’ll also discover whether you need to act and what may happen if you don't.

Click on the image to download our new guide on the 2020 problem.

If you would like us to check which version of Microsoft's software you are using, and discuss the best options for you to take, please contact one of our experienced Account Managers on sales@ntsols.com or 01252 235 235.

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