Using these products after the end of support leaves business users vulnerable to “potential security threats, productivity losses, and compliance issues,” said Mariana Prudencio, senior product marketing manager at Microsoft.
Not surprisingly, the company is pushing customers to cloud-based options. Microsoft recommends customers update to cloud-hosted versions of the software such as Microsoft 365 E3. Another option for Office 2016 and 2019 users is the Office Long-Term Servicing Channel, Microsoft said, which extends support into 2026.
Those that want to continue running Exchange Server on-premises are advised to prepare to migrate to the upcoming Exchange Server slated to arrive in 2025 prior to the end of support date. Microsoft recommends customers move to Exchange Server 2019 to ease this transition.