In an update posted to its TechNet site, Microsoft has announced extensions to recent versions of Windows 10 for Enterprise and Education users. Intended to give organizations more time to move to Microsoft's Windows as a Service model (WaaS), Windows 10 versions 1607, 1703, and 1709 will be supported for an additional six months.
From Microsoft:
Many customers – including MARS, Independence Blue Cross, and Accenture – have made significant progress in moving to Windows as a Service, but some have requested an extension to the standard 18 months of support for Windows 10 releases. To help these customers, we are announcing an additional six months of servicing for the Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10, versions 1607, 1703, and 1709.
Servicing will now end for each version on the following dates:
- Windows 10 version 1607: October 9, 2018
- Windows 10 version 1703: April 9, 2019
- Windows 10 version 1709: October 8, 2019
Under WaaS, each major feature release for Windows 10 is flighted to the public more quickly than in previous versions of Windows. As a result, each release is only supported for a limited time. These latest extensions follow a similar move taken by Microsoft last fall to support Windows 10 version 1511 for an additional six months, running through April 2018.
Microsoft also clarified some system requirements for Office 365 ProPlus. ProPlus will not be supported on Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) versions that are no longer being serviced, Microsoft says. Additionally, ProPlus will no longer be supported on any Windows 10 LTSC release, Windows Server 2016 and older, or Windows 8.1 and older, as of January 14, 2020.
Lastly, reiterating what it already announced at Ignite 2017, Microsoft says it still expects Office 2019 to release in the second half of 2018. Preview versions of the new apps are expected to start shipping in the second quarter. As for support, Microsoft says Office 2019 will only work on Windows 10 and it will receive mainstream support for five years.
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