End of Support Implications
Once October 2020 rolls around, businesses still on Exchange 2010 will face:
- No more documentation updates: Existing articles will still be accessible, however no new best practices or guidance will be published.
- No more security updates: The most critical components here are bug fixes or security patches to protect users and data within Exchange 2010. Without these updates, the risk of ransomware or malicious attempts to access information will rise.
- Compliance issues: Running outdated or unsupported products could be an immediate ticket to put your business out of compliance. Depending on regulations in your industry, or regional standards, operating Exchange 2010 past the end of support date may pose a larger business and/or legal problem.
Migration Options
The first question your business will ask is, “where are we going?” We suggest two main options:
- Upgrade to Exchange Online / Office 365: This is clearly the preferred option from Microsoft’s end. From feature enhancements to price changes, the Redmond giant continues to push organisations off-premises and into their cloud suite. By upgrading to Office 365, you’re guaranteed the latest version of Exchange in addition to all the security, functionality and applications without maintaining on-premises hardware.
- Upgrade to Exchange 2016 / 2019: Moving email to the cloud may not be possible for business reasons. By migrating to a newer instance of Exchange, the organisation is still protected against the implications of an out-of-date server. Note that if your organisation is looking to upgrade from Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2019, a “double-hop” migration through Exchange 2013 or 2016 may need to be performed first. We have solutions available to migrate data directly to Exchange 2019 without this middle step if required.
Ultimately, organisations still using Exchange 2010 are missing out on a host of functionalities in Exchange Online and Office 365 that have the potential to improve the way they work. As your trusted service provider, this end-of-support cycle is the perfect chance for us to help you navigate the changing technology landscape and introduce more holistic options to help be more productive, collaborative, and secure.