Updated: February 23, 2022 (February 21, 2020)

Exchange Online 2020 Shutdowns

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration and content management. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s technology... more

Customers should prepare for shutdowns or support retirements of many Exchange Online technologies in 2020, including the following:

Exchange Online Unified Messaging, a voice mail service, will be shut down and replaced by a Microsoft-hosted service called Cloud Voicemail, with shutdown dates between Dec. 2019 and Feb. 2020 depending on the customer’s phone system. (See “Exchange Online Unified Messaging Retiring.”)

eDiscovery in Exchange Online console and PowerShell. Customers will not be able to create new searches and holds with the Exchange admin center or with Exchange Online PowerShell mailbox search cmdlets as of Apr. 1, 2020. The ability to edit existing searches will be disabled July 1, 2020. Similar functions are available in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center console and cmdlets. Migration of existing searches and holds is not automatic, and companies will need to review any migrated searches and holds to ensure they still meet requirements of legal discovery and other applicable rules. Microsoft has not announced when existing Exchange Online searches and holds will stop working.

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