Support

Licensing Reference Licensing reference materials are continuously updated, highly-detailed entries covering Microsoft licensing terms, procedures, practices and timelines. View More

Product Reference Product reference materials are clear, concise definitions and descriptions of Microsoft's ever-growing catalog of products and services. View More

Support Roadmap Posts

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Support Policy Summary Support life-cycle policies define how long Microsoft software and service versions are eligible for security... more

Legacy Roadmap Entries

Compute, Networking, and Infrastructure Roadmap

Azure Technical Support Options for Enterprises Paid Azure technical support can provide customers with unlimited 24×7 technical assistance and initial response... more

Compute, Networking, and Infrastructure Roadmap

Comparison of Azure Paid Support Plans Roadmap for Azure Paid Support Plans. Microsoft offers four levels of paid Azure support in... more

Compute, Networking, and Infrastructure Roadmap

FastTrack for Azure The FastTrack benefit, consisting of guidance and support from Microsoft, can help qualified organizations modernize... more

Compute, Networking, and Infrastructure Roadmap

Support Analyst Reports

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Executive Focus: Negotiating Microsoft Licensing Agreements Updated: April 15, 2024 Licensing and negotiations favor Microsoft, but adopting the right approach allows customers to negotiate from...more Premier Support Completes Transition to Unified Support Updated: May 31, 2023 Customers still using Microsoft Premier Support have a limited time to convert to the Unified...more .NET Framework and IE Support Terms Altered Updated: May 31, 2023 A change to Microsoft’s support life cycle for the Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser and...more Rapid Microsoft Release Cycles Affect Enterprises Updated: May 31, 2023 An accelerated product release cadence for both on-premises and hosted products, such as the Windows...more Azure Technical Support Options for Enterprises Updated: May 31, 2023 Paid Azure technical support can provide customers with unlimited 24×7 technical assistance and initial response...more Transitioning to a Unified Support Plan Updated: May 31, 2023 Unified Support is the most comprehensive product support plan offered to enterprises. Unlike Premier Support,...more Exchange 2013 CU2 Arrives with Restated Support Policy Updated: October 3, 2021 Exchange 2013 CU2 brings a support policy clarification along with fixes and features Managing Windows XP After Extended Support Ends Updated: October 3, 2021 On Apr. 8, 2014, Windows XP, Office 2003, and several other Microsoft enterprise software products...more Windows 8.1 August Updates Recalled Updated: October 3, 2021 Updates for Windows 8.1 and related OSs released in Aug. 2014 were recalled shortly thereafter...more Licensing Extended Security Updates Updated: July 27, 2020 Extended Security Update (ESU) subscriptions provide security updates and bulletins for old versions of SQL Server,...more FastTrack for Azure Updated: July 23, 2020 FastTrack for Azure can help organizations move workloads off-premises. Microsoft has added several common migration...more Life Cycle Policy Does Not Guarantee Functionality Updated: July 16, 2020 Support life-cycle policies define how long Microsoft software and services are eligible for help desk...more FastTrack Programs Move Customers to Hosted Services Updated: July 16, 2020 The FastTrack benefit can help qualified organizations that have purchased Microsoft services like Office 365,...more Unified Support Changes Product Support Model Updated: July 16, 2020 Premier Support, Microsoft’s hourly support offering for enterprise customers, is being phased out and replaced...more Server Security Products Leave Support in Dec. 2015 Updated: July 15, 2020 Support for most of Microsoft's antimalware products for servers will be dropped in Dec. 2015,...more Premier Support Overview for Enterprises Updated: July 15, 2020 Microsoft’s support organization works with partners to form a worldwide support network that complements the...more

Podcasts

Microsoft Support: You've Got More Options Than You Think

January 30, 2025

· Season - 4 · Episode - 2 · Duration - 29m

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Blog

A man in front of a computer sifting through lots of paper documents

Updated: April 24, 2025 Busting Four of the Biggest Microsoft Support Myths

by
Mary Jo Foley

Updated: December 16, 2024 Microsoft's VMware Rapid Migration Plan: Not as shiny as it looks

by
Mary Jo Foley

Updated: May 23, 2024 Microsoft clarifies (a bit) its MFA for 'all' Azure users edict

by
Mary Jo Foley

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