If your business is still using Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 for email, it’s time to reconsider your options (before it’s too late, and your business suffers).

Microsoft is ending support for Exchange 2010 next year, and if you wait too long to decide on migration options, more than likely, you’ll open up your organization to unwanted malicious attacks from cybercriminals looking to exploit.

The good news is there are options for businesses preparing for Exchange 2010 End of Service (EOS).

What does EOS for Exchange 2010 Mean?

Microsoft is ending support to several of its software products — including Exchange 2010 — on January 14, 2020.

While businesses can still use Exchange 2010 after its EOS date, they will not be protected from new viruses, spyware, and other malware.

The tech giant will no longer provide the following when it ends support for Exchange 2010:

Technical support
Bug fixes
Security fixes
Time zone updates

These businesses should begin migration planning today to avoid support gaps.

There are a couple of migration options for businesses to consider before Microsoft ends support for Exchange 2010.

Migrate to Office 365

Migrating from Exchange 2010 to Office 365 is the easiest and fastest route for businesses to take when preparing for Exchange 2010 EOS.

With Office 365, a line of cloud-based subscription services offered by Microsoft, businesses don’t need to worry about updating software products (all Office 365 plans include automatic updates).

Other benefits of migrating to Office 365 include:

Not having to purchase and maintain hardware.
Cutting costs associated with heating and cooling servers (since you won’t need servers on premises).

Office 365 also provides additional features, such as compliance capabilities, MyAnalytics and Power BI.

Included in Office 365 subscriptions, depending on the plans you purchase, are various cloud-based solutions, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and more.

Businesses can migrate from Exchange 2010 to Office 365 by using cutover, express, or hybrid migration.

There are a couple of things to consider before choosing an Office 365 migration option, including seats and mailboxes, length of migration, and whether seamless migration is important to you.

To determine the best Office 365 migration option for your business, speak with an IT provider in your area with an expertise in Exchange 2010 migrations.

Upgrade to Exchange 2016

Migrating to Office 365 may not be the right choice for your business.

For example, some businesses are legally required to keep their email on-premises (sometimes regulatory requirements limit where data can be stored geographically, so to avoid any potential legal issues down the road, storing data on in-house servers is the better option).

If upgrading is the better route for your business, then there are a couple of options to choose.

You can upgrade to Exchange 2013 if you don’t want to make the jump to Exchange 2016; however, if you’re not migrating to Office 365, it’s recommended you upgrade your environment to Exchange 2016 (this version matches closely with Office 365, even though some features won’t be available).

It’s important to note the following: You don’t need to first upgrade to Exchange 2013 if you want to upgrade to Exchange 2016. You can jump from Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2016.