The End of Life for Office 2007
What does it mean for your company?
Ten years ago, Microsoft presented Office 2007, a software suite which helped popularize the Ribbon interface toolbar and several other software enhancements. Businesses still use this decade-old software suite, despite mainstream support ending in October 2012. Most companies have upgraded to newer versions of Office, but many still rely on the 2007 Office suite. With extended support for the software end date of October 10th, 2017 quickly approaching, it is time for businesses to seriously consider upgrading to a newer version.
What Does “End of Life” Mean?
While the software will still be usable, it will be classified as a legacy product. This means it will be ineligible for the following Microsoft support services:
Technical support
Bug fixes for issues
Security patches for vulnerabilities
Outlook 2007 will no longer have the ability to connect with Office 365 mailboxes
Running Office without these services can leave your business vulnerable to potential cyber-attacks and unresolved issues, which can have devastating results.
What Are My Options?
If you find yourself or your business facing the risks of the approaching End of Life, Microsoft strongly recommends upgrading to a newer version of the Office suite. Here are a few of the upgrade options:
- Upgrade to Office 2016, the latest release of the Office suite, which will have available support through 2025.
Upgrade to Office 2013. However, be mindful when considering older versions; support for Office 2013 ends in 2023.
Upgrade to Office 365, a subscription version of Office that comes in many different flavors.
