Support Policy Summary

Support life-cycle policies define how long Microsoft software and service versions are eligible for security and nonsecurity updates, help desk assistance, and other product support from the company. IT architects will need to check these policies when working on IT roadmaps and other plans for future upgrades and retirements. However, some informal “rules of thumb” are also worth considering

Policies Continue Move to Modern

Support life-cycle policies labeled “Modern” cover all Microsoft services and software sold on subscription. As Microsoft continues to push for subscription revenue and online services business, these policies will become steadily more important.

Modern support life-cycle policies only offer support for current versions of software or online services. A product with a Modern policy is supported as long as the customer stays on a current production version.  To qualify for support on a Modern policy, a customer must also have the right to use the software or service. This means the customer’s subscription must be active for subscription licenses, and Software Assurance is required for some other types of licenses.