The clock is ticking, are you prepared…

Microsoft products usually have a lifecycle of 10 years from release, after which businesses suddenly become incredibly vulnerable when using these systems. After the 10 years, Microsoft no longer provide bug fixes and security updates which leave systems open to malware and attacks, and no longer offer full support from Microsoft’s experts when an issue arises resulting in slower responses and the reduced likelihood of retrieving any stolen data. Cybercriminals target older systems which have less of a focus from security teams and don’t possess the most up-to-date technology, and they usually find success in finding vulnerabilities

Furthermore, running outdated products can create compliance issues, such as the Cyber Essentials certification which requires fully supported systems in place when audits take place.

You may be thinking this doesn’t affect you or your organisation, but thousands of businesses are still running Exchange Server 2010 products – and the end of support deadline is quickly running out.

Its however not too late to get help, and this can even be a blessing in disguise for your security infrastructure! eacs has supported organisations of all sizes in their migration, and there are two clear options for success.

Migrate to the Cloud

The end of life deadline is the perfect opportunity to start your planning and migration to Office 365 and the Cloud without maintaining on-premises hardware. Not only does this give you the latest versions of Microsoft products, you also gain a wide array of new features, helping improve your efficiency and ability to collaborate which is especially important in the current climate where many people are looking to work at home rather than come into the office. Depending on what you’re looking for and the size of the data you possess, the migration can be done quickly and efficiently with little disruption to day-to-day activities.

Stay on Premise

If you want to stay on-prem or are unable/unwilling to move to the cloud, you can still easily upgrade to the newer version of Exchange. Moving to Exchange 2019 (or even older versions such as 2016) keeps much of your current infrastructure and systems the same while providing you with additional security and features that can protect you against the dangers that out-of-support programmes brings. This also means you possibly won’t need to upgrade your systems due to end of support for another 9 years!

How eacs can help

eacs is pefectly positioned to work alongisde you every step of the journey, from deciding the best option for your business to completing your migration and managing your accounts and budgets for the entire lifecycle of the project. We have worked successfully with many businesses helping them make those transition decisions that are right for them.

Rather than being scared about the end of support deadline coming up, it should be seen as an opportunity to charge up your systems and freshen up the way you currently do things. The benefits are endless whichever way you go and over time can provide you with substantial cost-savings, and that is in addition to the alternative of running systems without support or the very latest security updates.

There’s no need to go through this alone, speak to eacs and our experts who are here to help whatever way is needed. Call us on 0800 8047 256 or contact us at https://www.eacs.com/contact/ before its too late.