Support for Microsoft Exchange 2016 and 2019 ends. October 14, 2025, is a date you should definitely mark in your calendar by now, as that is when official support for Exchange 2016 and 2019 versions ends. This means that version updates, security updates, and technical support will no longer be available. If your organization is still using Exchange 2016 or Exchange 2019, it’s time to make decisions about the future, even though right now in January 2025, the date may still seem distant. Above IT ‘consigliere’ Pasi Jalonen has compiled his thoughts in this blog to support IT management.
What does the end of support mean for the company's business?
The end of support does not only mean the end of updates. In reality, the threat can target the business, especially in terms of security and business continuity:
- Security risks: without regular updates to Exchange versions, servers become easy targets for hackers and malware to access company data.
- Compliance requirements: many industries have legal requirements and regulations. Outdated software can violate these requirements and cause fines or even legal actions for unprotected data.
- Inefficiency: compatibility challenges of old versions with new ones can significantly affect the company’s operations and collaboration with other companies. If attempts are made to artificially keep old versions running efficiently, it may significantly increase both workload and costs.
Update Options
Microsoft offers two options to update outdated Exchange servers to supported versions. Updating to the new Exchange SE (Exchange Server Subscription Edition) is viable if you want to keep the service in your own data center. However, a more sustainable approach for modern times is to migrate email services to Exchange Online.
If the business requirement is to keep services in your own data center, then Exchange SE is the right choice. It is expected to be released in the summer of 2025. Exchange 2019 CU15 directly supports in-place upgrades to this new version, and the update works the same way as the familiar CU updates. However, if the current version is older, the Exchange organization must first be updated to the Exchange 2019 CU15 level. It should be noted that Exchange SE will only be available to Microsoft customers with an active subscription or an existing Software Assurance (SA) maintenance agreement for servers and users.
Exchange SE can also be deployed in a hybrid environment and comes with a “free” Hybrid activation key. The condition for this use is that there are no mailboxes on the local server.
Click here to find the upgrade paths for different Exchange versions to the new version.
Towards Microsoft 365 services?
As I mentioned earlier, another and more sustainable option within the Microsoft ecosystem is to migrate email services to the M365 Exchange Online service. Exchange Online offers email infrastructure as a cloud service, thus reducing work in your own data center as email system server updates decrease and platform maintenance can be transferred to Microsoft. Exchange Online also fully integrates with other Microsoft 365 cloud services, such as Teams and SharePoint.
If your company has been hesitant about using Microsoft 365 services, when transitioning to them, it is worth pausing to consider whether knowledge work and work culture should be changed in the organization to fully benefit from the new services in the future.
In addition to demanding Exchange system projects, Above IT has a background in several successful knowledge work transformation projects. We generally recommend planning a shared knowledge work playbook and training staff in new working methods. When transitioning to cloud services, cloud technologies offer opportunities to enhance and improve work in ways that have only been dreamed of with a traditional email system until now.
If your IT department is now considering system updates for email services, Above IT ‘consigliere’ can assist your IT department with their extensive experience in email systems. Our Exchange and Microsoft 365 certified experts will guide your system project reliably in the right direction!