Is your company still running older versions of Outlook? If so, it might be time for an update. Microsoft has announced it will be shutting off old Outlook clients’ access on November 1, 2021. After this date, only commercial customers who are running Outlook 2013 Service Pack 1 or later will be able to connect to Microsoft Office 365 services.
Microsoft Continues to Reduce Support for Older Products
In 2020, Microsoft stopped providing support for older versions of Office that connected to Exchange Online. While the company announced that it would no longer support older versions, this announcement was not believed to signal the end of connectivity.
However, with this latest message, it’s clear that Microsoft will no longer be supporting or allowing connectivity for outdated Outlook clients. The changes planned for November 1, 2021 will make Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 incompatible with Microsoft Office 365.
Why Microsoft Office 365 is Reducing Outlook Support
So why has Microsoft decided to block Outlook 2007 and 2010? The answer may be that the latest upgrade to Microsoft Office 365 delivers many new enhancements.
Increased security
Microsoft is ending its support for basic authentication, which is the traditional username and password model. The company now uses modern authentication protocols which provide more security while offering policy controls and compliance.
HTTP/2 support
Microsoft is also looking to add support for HTTP/2 in Microsoft Office 365. This protocol decreases latency through request multiplexing and header compression, enabling Microsoft to prioritize requests better and push data to clients more effectively.
Easy Access to the New Features
It’s also worth noting that staying current is a good idea for anyone using Microsoft Outlook or any other product. Updated versions not only offer the latest and greatest features, but they’re also typically more secure and more reliable.
Create a Plan of Action for Your Company
Although November 1 is still a couple of months away, you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to create a plan of action. Upgrading to a newer version of Outlook can be relatively easy but typically requires backend changes. To make sure your company doesn’t incur any unnecessary downtime, be sure to leave plenty of time for transitioning and decommissioning.
For businesses that are still using old Outlook clients, the quickest and simplest fix is to upgrade to a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, both of which provide up-to-date software.
Up-To-Date Software Protects Your Business
In the age of phishing emails and other threats, it’s important to use the most up-to-date applications to protect sensitive and confidential business information.
To learn more about upgrading your Outlook version, review these end of support road maps provided by Microsoft:
As with all Microsoft products, Outlook has a support lifecycle and sadly, for older versions, the end of the lifecycle is fast approaching. Start planning your Outlook upgrade today so that you can maintain connectivity after November 1, 2021.
Got Questions About IT? Reach Out to the Experts
If you have any questions about Microsoft Office 365 or need any assistance with upgrading your internal technology systems, contact the IT experts at TCI Technologies today.
