On the 09th October there was an important announcement from Microsoft regarding Windows 7 and Office 365 Business. We have reproduced this announcement in full below:
As announced previously, Windows 7 will be out of support after January 14, 2020. Because Office 365 is governed by the Modern Lifecycle Policy, customers are required to stay current as per the servicing and system requirements for the product or service. This includes using Office 365 Business on a Windows operating system that is currently in support.
Using Office 365 Business on older, unsupported operating systems may cause performance and reliability issues over time. If your organization is using Office 365 Business on devices running Windows 7, we strongly recommend your organization move those devices to Windows 10.
How does this impact me?
Even though Windows 7 will no longer be supported after January 2020, we understand Office 365 customers may need more time in their migration to a supported operating system. Through January 2023, Microsoft will provide security updates for Office 365 Business on Windows 7. But, during that time, as long as the device is still running Windows 7, Office 365 Business wonโt receive any new features updates.
What should I do to prepare for this change?
We recommend that organizations migrate to Windows 10 or a supported operating system before the end of support date on January 14, 2020 in order to continue receiving new feature updates to Office 365 Business.
Weโll be providing more information by January about how to get security updates for Office 365 Business on devices running Windows 7 after support for Windows 7 ends.
For more information, please see this support article and this FAQ
This is another Business Benefit of Switching to Windows 10 as Microsoft show that very quickly continuing to operate Windows 7 will hamper businesses.
How Can We Help?
If you are still operating Windows 7 please do not hesitate to contact us to talk through the options. Do not put it off due to perceived cost. It may not be as expensive as you expect and Windows 10 is likely to operate on your existing hardware.