Microsoft is set to change the minimum requirements needed for Outlook to connect to Microsoft 365 applications. From 1 November 2021, Microsoft will end support for Outlook 2007 and 2010. Only Outlook 2013 Service Pack 1 and versions above will be able to connect to wider Microsoft 365 applications and services.
Why The Change?
While inconvenient for some organisations, the end of support For Outlook 2007 and 2010 is part of Microsoft’s product lifecycle.
It will also improve the security of emails. Outlook 2007 and 2010 only support basic authentication methods. In comparison, Outlook 365 and other more modern versions of Office support more advanced security measures (such as Multifactor Authentication). Outlook 365 also supports automatic patching, ensuring that users are always up to date with protection.
In addition, more recent versions of Outlook also offer improved reliability. Microsoft claims to have eliminated 75% of crash causes in more recent versions, offering a much-improved user experience.
End Of Support For Outlook 2007 and 2010: What Do I Need To Do?
 After 1 November, organisations currently using Outlook 2007 and 2010, or versions of Outlook provided with Office 2013, will stop receiving new emails via their desktop apps.
They will need to move to Outlook 365 or a more modern version of Outlook to access emails via a desktop application.
If organisations don’t move to newer versions, they will only be able to access emails via the Office 365 web portal.
Wider Outlook Changes
While support for Outlook 2007 and 2010 will cease, upgrades will also be required to other versions of Office for continued use.
As mentioned, Office 2013 users will need to run a minimum of Version 15.0.4971.1000 (Service Pack 1), while Office 2016 users will need to be running at least Version 16.0.4600.1000.
Akita is a Microsoft Gold partner. We’re able to assist organisations using older versions of Outlook with their upgrade to compliant versions. At the same time, we can also help organisations to review their Microsoft licence usage to determine if there are cost or service benefits to be had.
For more information on Microsoft updates or to discuss a licence review, please get in touch:
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