Microsoft End of Life Dates

By Suzie Cowling|12th June 2019

14th January 2020 is a key date at Microsoft with several products becoming End of Life.

If you are still using Windows 7 in your organisation or at home, then it’s time to think about upgrading to Windows 10. January 2020 sees the end of support for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Exchange 2010.

If you are using SQL Server 2008 or Small Business Server (SBS) 2011 Premium using the SQL component, a key date for you is July 2019. Office 2010 becomes end of life on the 13th October 2020.

Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, technical support or bug fixes for these packages.

What does this mean? It means that if any new bugs or exploits are found then they will remain unpatched by Microsoft, leaving you extremely vulnerable to any emerging threats. In summary, you will be on your own if a problem arises!

2018 was by far the most disruptive year on record for cyber-attacks and it’s only going to get worse in 2019. Companies that continue to use Windows 7 and Server 2008 beyond the end of life date can expect to face an even greater level of cyber risk.

Furthermore, ignoring the security aspects for a moment, with Microsoft no longer supporting Windows 7, how many manufacturers are going to continue to provide new hardware and software that is compatible with it? It is likely that new drivers for printers and updates for other software will not be forthcoming.

In the table below you can see the current dates that Microsoft will be ending support for various operating systems:

Operating System	End of Life
SQL Server 2008	09/07/2019
Windows 7	14/01/2020
Windows Server 2008	14/01/2020
SBS 2011 Standard	14/01/2020
Exchange 2010	14/01/2020
Office 2010	13/10/2020

So what are my options?

You should start planning to upgrade to a newer Microsoft operating system – as both operating systems are made by Microsoft, disruption should be kept to a minimum when moving across. We would advise that you look at upgrading to the most recent version as this will have the longest life span – there is no point in upgrading to the next version, i.e. Windows 8 in the case of Windows as it’s not going to be too long before that too enters its End of Life stage!

It may be that you will need to consider new hardware as the new operating system may struggle to run on older hardware but your DCS account manager will be able to advise you on this. The media is already full of stories regarding supply shortages so don’t leave it too long as you may not be able to get what you want.

Should I be looking at Cloud? End of life for server products does create a demand for cloud migration. However, you need to factor in that you have the necessary Internet Service Provider (ISP) resources or the proper security infrastructure to support this transition. Again, DCS will be able to advise you on this.

The sooner you start planning your migration across, the easier it will be for planning your budget and scheduling dates with our maintenance team for the work to be carried out.

DON’T DELAY – PLAN, BUDGET & ACT NOW – E-MAIL OR SPEAK TO YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER TODAY

Microsoft End of Life Dates

DCS 40^th Anniversary Easter Competition Terms & Conditions

· As the competition runs up to the 14th of April the prize will be sent out asap, however, the winner will most likely receive the prize after the Easter weekend.

· The Promotors competitions with entry via Twitter and/or LinkedIn are open only to residents of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland). One (1) winner will be chosen at random from all entrants and across all platforms.

· No purchase is necessary. Winners will not be required to pay to enter the competition.

· Entrants must be over 18 years old on the date of their entry.

· Employees of The Promoter are not eligible to enter.

· Twitter or LinkedIn are not in any way affiliated or involved in the competition.

· Only one entry per social platform per person will be accepted.

· The Prize will be awarded to a randomly selected winner who has entered on Twitter or LinkedIn, using a random number generator. The Promoter will not be held liable if the named prize becomes unavailable or cannot be fulfilled.

· The Promoter will not be held liable for any failure of receipt of entries. The Promoter takes no responsibility for any entries which are lost, delayed, illegible, corrupted, damaged, incomplete or otherwise invalid.

· To the extent permitted by applicable law, The Promoter’s liability under or in connection with the competition or these terms and conditions shall be limited to the cost price of the Prize in question.

· Prizes are non-negotiable, non-transferable and non-refundable. No cash alternative is available. Where a Prize becomes unavailable for any reason, the promoter reserves the right to substitute that prize for a prize of equal or higher value.

· The name, address, email address and phone number of the winner must be provided to The Promoter if requested and will be shared to enable the fulfilment of the Prize.

· In the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond The Promoter’s reasonable control, the promoter reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the competition or these terms and conditions, either in whole or in part, with or without notice.

· The Promoter’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

· The winner’s name and social media username may be posted on the social media profiles of The Promotor after the winner has been selected.