Microsoft Products Reaching End of Life For 2020. What Does This Mean?
Microsoft has announced End of Support for Office 2010 and has added it to the Microsoft 2020 End of Life List. The tech giant is now urging users to move to the Office 365 ProPlus platform that promises some exciting new developments owing to the fact it is cloud-based and has some powerful Artificial Intelligence capabilities. The good news is that the transition is not only smooth, but it can significantly optimize efficiency and productivity. Let’s understand the industry leader’s 2020 vision, what Microsoft discontinuing Office 2010 means for us, and what should be our next move.
What Is Expected From Microsoft Office In 2020
The Office 365 ProPlus platform is designed to handle today’s challenges by encouraging more teamwork and reduce workload. No wonder the company has done so well for decades – they always stay ahead of time, as made evident by the many features offered in Microsoft 365 ProPlus. It’s capabilities include:
- Collaboration Over Spreadsheets And Documents
If all operations are running over Microsoft Azure, users can collaborate to create and edit spreadsheets and documents. They can also add comments to help other team members gain perspective about the edits. So, With Microsoft 365 ProPlus, you can make changes to docs on the cloud, on the go from any device at any time.
- Excel XLOOKUP Feature
Microsoft has launched a new formula – XLOOKUP for more precise calculations. It is a replacement for older functions like VLOOKUP, LOOKUP, and HLOOKUP and supports the search for approximate as well as exact matches.
- Resume Creation In Word
The word assistant comes with a built-in Resume Assistant that provides personalized insights powered by LinkedIn. This makes it easier than ever to create compelling resumes via Microsoft 365 ProPlus which entice recruiters to reach out to you.
- Auto Transcriptions And Close Captions
You can add audio files to word, and via Microsoft Azure, these audio files can be converted into transcriptions. Gone are the days of typing and syncing transcripts.
- Professional Presentations via PowerPoint Designer
With Artificial intelligence as a noteworthy feature, the new and improved Microsoft PowerPoint provides you with suggestions on what slide designs will be perfect for your presentations.
How To Cope-Up With Microsoft End of Support of Office 2010
The features mentioned above are not available on Office 2010 or Office 2019, and all of these are integral for better workflows. To upgrade to Office 365 ProPlus take the following steps:
- Ensure that the devices in question are compatible with the new version of MSOffice
- Review your current Office 365 plans, and see if the added features will help you
- See if your applications and documents are compatible with Office 365 ProPlus, use the Readiness Toolkit to assist you.
- Evaluate if the new version fits your current IT infrastructure and environment
- Choose deployment options – from the cloud, from a local source, or with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager
- Choose how often should the system check for new updates
- Add other languages if required
What Other Services Is Microsoft Discontinuing?
Apart from the extremely popular Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft has also ended support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and has officially added them to the End of Life Microsoft list. However, a quick (but temporary) fix to avoid any short-term problems is to migrate to Microsoft Azure, which offers an additional three years of free critical security updates with this option.
How Can CRA Help You Manage These Changes?
To keep operations running smoothly, it is imperative to adapt to the new MSOffice right away and make the most of its features. And we can help you make that transition without compromising your current business efforts. With over 25 years of experience in Transformational Managed IT Support, Computer Resources of America (CRA) can ensure that all operations are shifted to the new, improved Office version, and the new environment is error-free from the get-go. Plus, we will make sure that your current IT infrastructure can handle the changes, and if not, we will provide you with cost-effective solutions that can quicken the process. So, reach out to us today, as 2020 is days away; and we want to help you embark the New Year in full-swing with the needed resources for better operations and enhanced efficiency.