Exchange Cumulative Updates

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

Cumulative Updates (CUs) are the main vehicles for feature and security updates to Exchange Server between releases of versions. CUs are important for several reasons, including the following:

Required for support of hybrid systems. Hybrid Exchange systems, which run Exchange Server but also have some or all of their mailboxes in Exchange Online, typically must be running the latest CU to get Microsoft product support.

Security, compatibility, and management. These features sometimes arrive in CUs between major versions of Exchange. For example, CUs delivered modern authentication and directory management support for pure Exchange Server systems (those not in hybrid mode with Exchange Online) and compatibility fixes to support running Exchange Server on Windows Server 2022.

Preparing for and deploying CUs will become even more important for customers who move to Exchange Server SE, because with that version, the current CU will have to be deployed to receive product support in most cases.

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