Exchange Email, Office 365, Office 365, On-premises environments, Productivity and Email, Promotions and offers
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 hits end of life: What now?
Business has changed a lot since 2007—if you recall it was the year the first iPhone came out—now 10 years later, no one is without a smartphone in their pocket. Businesses have become more mobile, security has become more advanced, and users expect 100% uptime. Making it more obvious than ever that technology from 2007 was technology from a simpler time.
Although Exchange 2007 has been a reliable platform, as they do every 10 years, Microsoft® has ended support for Exchange 2007. This means they will no longer be providing critical security patches and updates that could leave your business vulnerable to hackers. Think about it, Exchange 2007 is using 10-year-old technology while hackers are using the technology of today—your risk of data breaches is significantly increased. And if you happen to be in a vertical, running unpatched software may violate regulatory compliance requirements and standards. So, as Microsoft suggests, now is the time to protect your business by upgrading your Server.
What does that mean to you?
If your business is still running on-premises Exchange 2007, you have a choice to make: Do nothing, upgrade your version of Exchange, or move to Office 365®. Let’s explore each option in more detail.
Option 1: Do Nothing.
If you choose to stay with your current Exchange 2007 on-premises server, you run the risk of encountering security issues. Microsoft will no longer be releasing bug fixes or feature upgrades for Exchange 2007. These updates are critical to protecting against security vulnerabilities. The effects may not be immediate but your data will be exposed to potential risks.
Option 2: Upgrade to an Exchange 2016 Server.
Considering an on-premises upgrade? Make sure you know what you’re in for. On-premises upgrades often require tandem work on adjacent third-party systems in your network, plus pricey hardware considerations and licensing complications. What’s more, you have to plan it, implement it, and then troubleshoot it—all without any downtime for your users.
Option 3: Move to the cloud with Office 365
You can alleviate the issues associated with both options 1 and 2 by making the move to the cloud. For businesses using Exchange the most obvious path is with Office 365. With a variety of plans to choose from and a clear focus on productivity, mobility, and business agility, Office 365 is the clear choice for most businesses with obvious benefits. They include:
- Moving to the cloud – with Office 365, there are absolutely no additional hardware considerations. You don’t need to upgrade your adjacent systems – which saves you money and time. And you don’t have to worry about downtime. Not only do you have a reliable uptime SLA, you also gain assistance when moving to the cloud. So the whole experience is seamless and transparent to your users.
- In addition to a reliable, secure email platform, businesses can enjoy increased productivity from the always up-to-date Microsoft Office applications. In 10 years, you won’t have to worry about another upgrade path as you will always be on the latest and greatest versions available. And you’ll gain all the mobility benefits of a new, updated platform giving your users the ability to work from anywhere, on any device.
And when you get Office 365 from intermedia, you gain two additional benefits not available from any other provider:
- Customize your Office 365 solution. Create the Office 365 solution your business needs with integrated Intermedia applications including backup, continuity, archiving and cloud voice – all designed to enhance Office 365 deployments.
- 24/7 Award-Winning Support. J.D. Power certified award-winning support and Microsoft-certified expertise delivered 24/7 by Intermedia employees – no outsourcing, no online forums.
Intermedia is here to help: give us a call at 800.379.7729. When you call us, be sure to ask about our special One Month Free Office 365 promotion!
Microsoft and Office 365 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.
J.D. Power 2016 Certified Assisted Technical Support Program, developed in conjunction with TSIA. Based on successful completion of an audit and exceeding a customer satisfaction benchmark for assisted support operations. For more information, visit www.jdpower.com or www.tsia.com.
