Old versions of Outlook losing support in Microsoft 365
The company is urging customers to move to a newer version of Outlook before November
Microsoft has told commercial customers using older versions of Outlook to upgrade to newer software before the 1st November - after this date, only Outlook 2013 Service Pack 1 (with latest fixes) and later will be able to connect to Microsoft 365 services.
It's worth noting that Outlook 2007, 2010, and Office 2013 versions earlier than 15.0.4971.1000 aren't supported now.
We've known about the 1st November deadline for months, but Microsoft wants to ensure customers move to a newer version of Outlook in time.
The good news is that most customers have already upgraded to newer versions of Outlook, or are in the process of doing so.
Microsoft says it has seen a constant decline in the usage of old versions since its initial announcement of the change last autumn.
Microsoft's customer support team is currently trying to reach customers who still use Outlook 2007 and 2010, to help them meet the deadline (one wonders if they're trying to do so by email - Ed.). It is now up to those customers to switch over to a supported version before they start experiencing disruption in their work.
Microsoft wants to move away from the basic authentication systems used in older versions of Outlook, and instead transition everyone to more secure modern protocols.
The company is also working to add HTTP/2 in Microsoft 365, which is only supported in the latest clients. HTTP/2 is a full duplex protocol designed to decrease latency through header compression. Microsoft says it will be able to better prioritise requests and push data to its clients using HTTP/2.
In August, Microsoft said it would increase pricing for Microsoft 365 business subscriptions by up to 20 per cent. The changes will apply globally from the 1st March 2022, with local market adjustments for certain regions. The increases will not include consumer or educational products, however.
For users who want to move away from on-premise systems entirely, the company has recently launched a new service called 'Windows 365 Cloud PC', which enables users to access their own PC from any device with an internet browser.
Users can access their Windows 10 (and eventually Windows 11) devices, including their data, apps and settings, from either a personal or business device or a phone, thus eliminating the need to commute with their PC. It does, however, require a new Windows license.