Microsoft announces product it doesn't want you to buy: Extended security updates for old Exchange, and Skype for Biz
- Reference: 1776333668
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/04/16/microsoft_exchange_skype/
- Source link:
Readers may remember the company previously [1]announced that customers could sign up for six months of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Exchange Server 2016/2019 and Skype for Business Server 2015/2019 after support for the products ended in October 2025.
Microsoft's announcement of ESU for the products included the stern warning: "This period will not be extended past April 2026 (you do not need to ask)."
[2]
April is now upon us, and Microsoft has acknowledged that some customers have not moved to new products.
[3]
[4]
What's a software giant to do? Point out it was quite emphatic about not extending the ESU period past April and stick to its guns – or make a change?
The solution is a [5]second period of Exchange Server ESU , this time from May 2026 to October 2026. Again, customers must pay for the service, and again, there is no promise that Microsoft will release any updates during this period.
[6]
Microsoft also warned: "There will be no further extensions of this program after that."
[7]Microsoft tells crusty old kernel drivers to get with the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program
[8]Microsoft starts the countdown for the end of Exchange Web Services
[9]Legacy Update updated – so your old Windows can be, too
[10]Microsoft agrees to 11th hour Win 10 end of life concessions
The software behemoth is also adding a [11]second period of ESU for Skype for Business 2015 and 2019 with the same conditions and warnings: customers will need to pay for it, there is no guarantee of updates, and when the end finally comes, there won't be any further extensions.
The Windows behemoth is putting a brave face on things, saying "As end of April 2026 nears, some of our customers told us that they needed additional time" to get their migrations done.
Microsoft is nonetheless clearly less than pleased that some customers have not yet migrated. It wrote: "Our preference is that our customers finalize their migrations instead (honestly – we'd be happy to not sell Period 2 Exchange ESU to anyone; please migrate instead!)" ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/17/microsoft_extended_security_exchange_skype_server/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aeEHpbS8WKKsZTkmZ4-zlAAAARA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aeEHpbS8WKKsZTkmZ4-zlAAAARA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aeEHpbS8WKKsZTkmZ4-zlAAAARA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/announcing-period-2-exchange-20162019-extended-security-update-esu-program/4511603
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aeEHpbS8WKKsZTkmZ4-zlAAAARA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/27/microsoft_kernel_trust/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/06/microsoft_ews_shutdown/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/29/legacy_updated_updated/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/26/not_in_eu_and_want/
[11] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/skype_for_business_blog/announcing-%E2%80%9Cperiod-2%E2%80%9D-for-skype-for-business-server-20152019-extended-security-u/4511619
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
What's a software giant to do? Point out it was quite emphatic about not extending the ESU period past April and stick to its guns – or make a change take the money?
FTFY
Hahaha
Skype for Business the, shiftiness of Lync with the shittiness of SharePoint combined. Poor gits.
Now Teams on the other hand ... Skype with the shittiness SharePoint plus some stuff which eats all my RAM. Much Better.
Re: Hahaha
I honestly don't find anything of worth in the Office suite, not even Word or Excel any more, but certainly not the side-offerings from Teams (which one?) to Outlook to Sharepoint to all the other nonsense they have.
I don't understand why people are so attached to them. I don't think I ever really have.
I mean, pay me and I'll "manage" them for you (i.e. install them and then you're at the mercy of whatever MS want to do with them), but I wouldn't touch them if I wasn't being paid to.
"you do not need to ask"
Microslop meaning " We need you not to ask."
I had thought that this perverse use of "need" had died in the bum. Apparently not.
What it use to mean (Hell! Actually does mean!) was that your request might be taken as read and was implicit that it would be seriously considered with a slight nod that it would likely be granted.
Here of course the poor sods who require such an extension actually do need .… want ? I wouldn't think any rational soul would desire any further truck with Microslop.
The MS meaning could have been clearly and economically stated with "(do not ask)" or with more actual courtesy than MS exhibits "(please do not ask)" [And as the old "No Credit" signs had it… "as refusal often offends." ]
Of course they can't!
That was clear even before "the current Administration forced Microsoft to kill a European politically active account".
Tons of country/state departments in the EU cannot, by definition, move to Azure, they can only be self hosted (aka "private" cloud). Some things cannot be trusted out of the country, no matter what the papers say. That includes an 100% offline "classic" Outlook as well - and i must say, Office 2024 including Outlook is MUCH MUCH better than the classic Outlook 365 in surprising many ways. The difference is bigger than many know.
For companies it is different, they get their special lawyer signing the "OK", done. That is a different liability, 'cause if MS fails (again), they cannot be held responsible.
There is, of course, a grey area of companies closely working with government agencies where the lawyers have to apply more strict measurements.
"Our preference is that our customers finalize their migrations"
Any organisation or business which has realised that Trump has an off switch will be migrating away from MS so the extra time is welcome. That might not be to MS' preference though.