April 2017 will be a busy month for Microsoft.
Support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will end on April 11, 2017. This means that there will be no more patches or security updates after that date. Anyone using Exchange Server 2007 for their email and calendar services should begin planning to update to a newer version such as Exchange Server 2016. In order to upgrade, you will need to be running Microsoft Office 2010 or newer.
As we mentioned in an earlier post, support for Windows 7 will also end in April. On the other hand, Windows 10 will see a couple of major updates in 2017. The most anticipated is perhaps the Creative Update (also scheduled for April). The Creative Update will focus on productivity, personalization and creativity improvements and will bring much-needed features and enhancements to Windows 10.
Windows 10 updates will provide greater protection against ransomware in 2017. To fight the increase in malware of all stripes, Microsoft will make numerous appearance and usability enhancements to Windows Defender. Other steps Microsoft has already taken to beef up protection include:
· Made it more difficult for malware authors to use browser, or browser-plugin-related exploits.
· Increased detection and blocking capability in email services, increasing the number of ransomware-related attachments that are blocked.
· Added new technology to Windows Defender to reduce detection time to seconds, increasing the ability to respond before infection can occur.
· Released Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection to make it easier for companies to investigate and respond to ransomware attacks.
Plan your updates with Future Link IT. We provide support for your entire infrastructure. From your applications to the servers, firewalls, workstations and printers that are critical to your daily operations, we are your trusted experts.