Long after a product has been launched Microsoft offers continual bug fixes and patches to keep the product running and safe for anyone who purchased it. However, like all good things this does come to its end.
SharePoint 2013 is next on Microsoft’s list of products reaching the end of extended support. For users of SharePoint 2013 this creates a problem. In this article we tell you everything you need to know about SharePoint 2013 end of life.
When does SharePoint 2013 reach end of life?
SharePoint 2013 reaches end of life 11th April 2023.
What does end of life mean?
Microsoft offer two levels of support for products. They offer 5 years of mainstream support where they release regular updates, fixes and patches etc. Then the product moves onto extended support for another 5 years. At this phase Microsoft focus on security fixes. They ensure there are no vulnerabilities in the solution during this period.
So, when SharePoint 2013 reaches end of life what this really means is that it marks the end of extended support.
What are the risks of running SharePoint 2013 after end of life?
When thinking about end of life it is important to understand the risks. The risk is security related. If someone was to find a vulnerability or weakness in SharePoint 2013 and exploit it after 11th April 2023 then they could use this to attack your organisation. The key here is that Microsoft will not fix the vulnerability.
In theory any weakness would be a permanent risk to your organisation and if widely publicised could be attacked by cyber criminals.
What can I do?
There are several things you can do when looking to manage these risks. The best step we would recommend would be a move to SharePoint Online. This is a fairly easy migration path and would completely remove the risk. Pair that with the wide range of increased capability and the modern user interface and you get a compelling argument.
If your organisation is not ready for SharePoint Online, you could move to a newer in support version of SharePoint on-premise such as SharePoint 2016 and this would buy you a few more years of support.
The main challenge organisations will face is if they have built applications or a customised SharePoint then it does make the upgrade and migration process more challenging. Any SharePoint applications would need to be rebuilt to work on the newer versions.
Knowing the risk your business faces and that SharePoint 2013 is end of life is a great start. Understanding and evaluating the different options available to you is key. If you would like to discuss SharePoint 2013 end of life, then please contact us today.
