Over the next two years we will see four Microsoft products still commonly used by businesses, all reach the end of their support life; Windows 7, Exchange 2010, Server 2008, and Office 2010.
What does this mean for your business? Once the software product reaches its end of life support date it will no longer receive critical security updates. If at that point you continue to use the unsupported software your computer(s) will be more vulnerable to security attacks, malware and viruses. If you are using any prior versions of the four software products listed you are already at considerable risk and should consider an immediate upgrade to protect your business. Please see the following chart:
| Microsoft Software Product | Support Ending Dates | Recommended Replacement |
| Windows 7 all versions | January 14th, 2020 | Windows 10, corresponding ver. |
| Exchange 2010 | January 14th, 2020 | Office 365 or Exchange 2016 |
| Server 2008 | January 14th, 2020 | Server 2016 |
| Office 2010 | October 13th, 2020 | Office 365, Office 2019* |
| Office 2019 | October 14th, 2025 | Office 365 |
*Please note – The Life Cycle of Office 2019 as a replacement for Office 2010 is only 5 years.
Planning software upgrades so that they are the most cost effective and least disruptive for your business is important. Contact Shaw Computer Systems for help developing an upgrade implementation plan to keep your business secure.