Earlier this year, Microsoft ended support for at least one past operating system, Windows XP. Now, Microsoft announces some additional products – including one other operating system – will reach the end of their support cycles either later this year or early in 2015.
If you use any of these Microsoft products for your small business, it may be wise to understand how these changes will affect them.
Microsoft says support will end for the following products on Oct. 14: Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004 Standard Edition Windows CE 5.0
These additional Microsoft products will no longer be supported by Microsoft by Jan. 13, 2015:
Host Integration Server 2004 Developer Edition
Host Integration Server 2004 Enterprise Edition
Host Integration Server 2004 Standard Edition
Systems Management Server 2003
Systems Management Server 2003 R2
Virtual Server 2005 Enterprise Edition
Virtual Server 2005 Management Pack
Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition
Virtual Server 2005 R2 Standard Edition
Virtual Server 2005 Standard Edition
Visual FoxPro 9.0 Professional Edition
The end of support for these products will mean Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.
As a result, if you continue to use any of these products for your business after the end of Microsoft’s support cycle, any data could become highly vulnerable to cyber attack.
Microsoft is also announcing that it will be retiring several service packs by early next year. Once retired, these service packs too will receive no further updates
Support will end on Oct. 14 for:
Office 2010 Service Pack 1 and SharePoint Server 2010 Service Pack 1
And support will end for these service packs on Jan. 15, 2015:
Visual Studio 2012 Remote Tools
Visual Studio 2012 Test Professional
Visual Studio Express 2012 for Web
Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows 8
Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop
The company also announced that some products will be transitioning from Mainstream Support to Extended Support. When these products make this transition over the next six months, Microsoft says it will not be accepting requests for design changes or the addition of new features.
Extended Support on these products will continue for 5 years. Security updates will be provided for free while hotfix support will carry a fee.
A full list of the many products Microsoft is transitioning to Extended Support, can be found here.
Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/07/microsoft-ending-support.html
