Exchange Server 2010 Reaches the End of Mainstream Support

This week, 13th January 2015 to be precise, marks the end of mainstream support for Exchange Server 2010. The product now enters the extended support phase, which will end in January 2020.

What does this mean for customers? The best explanation of mainstream vs extended support comes from Microsoft’s own Support Lifecycle FAQ page.

As you can see Microsoft will still provide security updates for Exchange Server 2010 (as long as you’re on the supported service pack level, which is Service Pack 3), however they will no longer be providing non-security updates (without an Extended Hotfix Support contract), and there is limited complimentary (free) technical support provided.

So for now you are still supported from a security perspective, and can still access paid technical support if you need it. Information in TechNet, knowledge bases, forums, and of course throughout the community on blogs and other platforms will continue to be available to you. And by now you would imagine that most questions are answered somewhere, although there can always be new problems or use cases appear that haven’t been answered yet.

I know there are customers currently deploying new Exchange Server 2010 environments today. Some are doing it because they have no other option, for example they are still migrating off Exchange Server 2003. Others are doing it because they feel more comfortable with Exchange 2010 than with newer options.

Customers who are concerned about being in extended support can look to migrate from Exchange 2010 to Exchange Server 2013 or Office 365. Both are high quality, stable platforms these days and worth considering.