Support Lifecycle Policy Extended for Business and Developer Products

Key Details:

• Microsoft will now offer a minimum of 10 years of support (5 years mainstream plus 5 years extended) for Business and Developer Products.
• Self-help online support has been extended from 8 to 10 years.
• The Enhanced Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy took effect on June 1, 2004.

Details:

On May 25, 2004, Microsoft announced an expanded and enhanced product support lifecycle policy. The updated policy will provide customers with a minimum total of 10 years of support (5 years Mainstream and 5 years Extended) for Business and Developer products. The updated policy provides an expanded time frame and increased support for IT infrastructure security assistance.

The updated support lifecycle policy primarily affects Business and Developer products that are currently in the mainstream support phase, in addition to future products. Consumer, Hardware, Multimedia, and Microsoft Business Solutions products are not affected by the updated policy.

Advancements in the technology industry have elevated the requirement for expanded and flexible support to meet product migration timelines and to directly address security requirements. The updated Microsoft Support Lifecycle directly addresses these requirements while trying to minimize the chance that future lifecycle adjustments will occur. This update reinforces the commitment that Microsoft makes to build predictable relationships with customers.

Business and Developer Products:

The new policy goes into effect on June 1, 2004. Visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle site at that time for detailed information about individual Microsoft products.