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Planning for Microsoft Office 2007 “End of Life”

Perhaps one of the things that gives life so much meaning is that from the day we are born, we never quite know how much time we will have on Earth. Born just ten years ago, Microsoft Office 2007 once experienced a similar sense of wonder, but now with its “end of life” date looming on the horizon, it has become clear that this once highly-applauded piece of software is just as mortal as we are.

As we approach the end of our lives, we might find ourselves asking a number of different questions. Could I have done more? What is the meaning of all this? How could an infinitely powerful and benevolent company like Microsoft allow its innocent products to die so young?

While some of these questions remain beyond our mortal ability to answer, this guide is here to help you prepare:

When is the scheduled end of life date for Microsoft Office 2007?

For some of Office’s lesser used features—such as Exchange Server, Accounting 2007, and Interconnect 2007—the end of life date has already occurred on April 11th of this year.

For the remainder of Microsoft Office 2007’s applications, the end of life date will occur on October 10th (2017). These applications include, but are not limited to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2007
  • Microsoft Outlook 2007 (including Business Contact Manager)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 (both home and student versions)
  • Microsoft Word 2007
  • Microsoft Project 2007
  • Microsoft Visio 2007 (both professional and standard versions)
  • …essentially all Microsoft Office products from the year 2007

If you currently have any files that have been created using Microsoft Office 2007, it is a very good idea to backup, save, and store them before the end of life date.

What exactly does the “end of life” date mean?

The end of life date does not mean that all of your files are going to be deleted. It is does, however, mean that these files are now much more at risk of being permanently lost than before.

Essentially, the “end of life” date really just means the end of Microsoft’s support cycle. According to the company website, this means the end of both security and non-security updates, both free and paid assisted support options, and online technical content updates.

If you do not use Microsoft support services very often or at all, you might not be immediately affected by this rather grimly named point in time. However, if you need support in the future due to the technical difficulties that will inevitably emerge from using a product that is now an entire decade old, you will be completely out of luck.

Will I continue to be able to use Microsoft Office 2007?

Even after the end of the support lifecycle, you will still be able to use Microsoft Office 2007, you will just be doing so at your own risk. This is not the first time Microsoft has ended the support lifecycle for its software products, and since the software itself is rather well-made, many people have been able to continue using it for even years on end without support. However, as time goes on, the bigger the risk of using unsupported software becomes.

Really, the biggest risk you face will be from the lack of future security updates. Though these updates can often be annoying at times, they are still very important in a world with increasing sources of cybersecurity threats. When deciding whether or not to migrate to a newer version of Microsoft Office, you ought to begin by asking yourself, is it worth the risk of losing security?

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What are my current options for purchasing Microsoft Office?

Essentially, Microsoft recommends one of two migration options. You could either subscribe to the newest version of Microsoft Office which is known as Office 365, or you could purchase a different version of Office that is currently supported, such as Office 2016. Migrating to both of these platforms will allow you to benefit from the latest (and at times, quite helpful) product developments and also continue receiving the essential product upgrades you need.

If you are looking to make a seamless migration away from Microsoft Office 2007, consider contacting the Experts at Royal. Royal Discount is an officially licensed Microsoft partner specializing in business and personal software licensing. Here, you will be able to receive personalized service and advice from our help desk. Give us a call and let us help you with your migration away from 2007, affordably – 1-877-292-7712