Yes, it may have served you well over the past decade, but MS Office 2010 has reached its end of life back in October. Now it is time to upgrade. Our latest blog article shows you why and what to consider.

All software has a typical life span, after which the manufacturer turns its resources to supporting a more recent release. Support for Office 2010 ended back on October 13, 2020. Thus Microsoft no longer provides tech support, bug or security fixes. That means there is no protection from harmful viruses, spyware or other malicious software as MS won’t release any updates, and there is no more phone or chat support if you run into trouble.

Cybercriminals know that Office 2010 users are on their own. They are now on the lookout for businesses relying on this legacy software. Without updates, you risk exposing your business via an unpatched vulnerability just by simply opening a exploited document.

What can you do?

Move your business computers to one of the more modern Microsoft software offerings. You can choose to upgrade to the latest version of Office as a one-time purchase, or buy a Microsoft 365 subscription, The benefits of the subscription model is that you will never be using an “old” version as you will have access to the latest features, security updates and other improvements.

The currently available version of Office for one time purchase is Office 2019. You can install Office only on one device, and you will get support and fixes during its lifecycle period only. New features are not offered. Office 2019 came out in September 2018 (so is already 2 years old!) and is due to be succeeded by Office 2022 in the second half of 2021.

Before deciding to wait until 2021 for the next release, consider Microsoft 365 (M365 previously known as Office 365 / O365). M365 gives you access to Office’s cloud-connected features across multiple devices, online file storage, collaboration tools, Office mobile apps, access to support plus a lot more features and apps. Click here to view our blog article on the benefits of M365 / O365.

As new M365 features and functionality becomes available, you will get access on a monthly basis. With a business account, the administrator can control when you are able to see them.

Is M365 for Us?

M365 appeals to many businesses because it is in the cloud, or both on-premises and in the cloud. Employees can use familiar tools such as Word and Excel installed on desktops, then save their files to the cloud. This makes work available anywhere, from laptops, mobile phones, tablets and other devices.

M365 also adds in Teams. Teams is a great collaboration software tool that enables features such as: video conferencing, screen sharing, group chat and calling.

With M365, you always have the latest version of Office, Exchange, SharePoint, and Teams. Your subscription sets you up with the latest version without the need for a major migration.

Ignoring the end date for Office 2010 could be costly. So don’t risk a disaster, upgrade your old-school Office software today.

If upgrading seems overwhelming, our IT experts can help. Contact us now and we can help you on the best software for your business needs and set it up too!