SMARTSPEND™ BULLETIN
New In 2022, nearly 80 Microsoft products and releases will reach end of support (or servicing), move to Extended Support, or be retired. For products reaching end of support, customers face a decision to either upgrade or take risks associated with running the unsupported product in their IT ecosystem. In this bulleting, we review the list of products that will be sunset in 2022 and some factors Microsoft enterprises customers should consider as they prepare for these events.
At nearly 80 offerings, the list of Microsoft releases and offerings being sunset in 2022 (or moved to extended support) is nearly twice as long as 2021’s list. When most of these products reach end of support, no new security updates, non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates will be issued.
Here is a current list of Microsoft products that will be retired or reach end of servicing/ support in 2022:
Microsoft is also moving several products from Mainstream to Extended Support in 2022. Per Microsoft, Extended Support includes security updates at no cost, and paid non-security updates and support. Once a product is in
Extended Support phase. Microsoft does not accept requests for design changes or new features.
Microsoft customers have limited options when a product reaches end of support – upgrade to the latest cloud or on-premise version of that product, remain on the existing version and absorb the business risk, or (if eligible) enroll in Microsoft’s Extended Security Update Program.
As customers navigate this decision, they should ask the following questions:
It’s important to understand the fine print governing end of support for Microsoft products. Like most things Microsoft, cost-optimized navigation of the changes requires expert clarification of contractual terms, well-planned alignment of the customer’s IT roadmap with Microsoft’s roadmap, and insight into Microsoft’s motivations and business objectives.
Microsoft license and cost optimization is an NPI center of excellence. Contact us if you’d like to learn about our services – NPI is not a reseller, we are unbiased licensing experts.