If you want to continue using Microsoft Office products and are using either Office 2010 or Office 2016 for Mac, you’re going to have to upgrade.
Microsoft is ending support for those two products on Oct. 13. They will continue to function, but over time your risk for trouble will grow.
“Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security fixes for Office 2010 vulnerabilities which may be subsequently reported or discovered,” Microsoft says on a support page for Office 2010. “This includes security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.”
Or, as TechRepublic puts it: “Continuing to operate using non-supported versions of Microsoft Office would be reckless and irresponsible, particularly with viable and relatively inexpensive alternatives available.”
In addition to the potential security risks, users of Office 2010 and Office 2016 for Mac may be unable to access OneDrive and Sharepoint – a problem if important files reside on either site.
Microsoft still offers a one-time software purchase for Office 2019. But it is priced to incentivize the subscription alternative – which is cheaper and offers more features.
The downside, of course, is you must renew your subscription annually.
However, for those of you clinging to aging software you paid for once, we want to say one word to you: Cloud.
The world has changed dramatically since the days of one-time purchase software. You gain much better protection, for security and file storage reasons, with the Cloud – Microsoft’s current M365 software subscriptions.
M365 means no more lost work due to drive or power failures, and better security protections beyond the good old anti-virus program you’ve been buying for years.
Cloud-based software is the way of the world in 2020. So let go of your aging, one-time-purchase software and join your peers with a Cloud version of Office.
Your customers will thank you for it.