When is the End of Support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013?

If you are running an on-premise version of Exchange Server 2013, it's time to start planning on moving to a different solution. The support life cycle for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 is coming to an end. 

That means all security updates and patches will be ending soon. You don't want to be caught with your pants down trying to figure out how to secure your email. So let's discuss when support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 will end — and what your options are moving forward.

Need to Level Up Your Admin Skills?

Most organizations will move to Azure Exchange from Exchange Server 2013. Exchange Online is included with any business plan for Microsoft 365. Best of all, Exchange Online requires little maintenance compared to running an on-premise version of Exchange.

That's not to say that Exchange Online and Microsoft 365 don't require configuration and management. Managing Microsoft 365 email accounts is different from managing on-premise Exchange accounts. 

If you're unfamiliar with configuring and managing Microsoft 365 accounts, you may want to take an online Microsoft 365 training course. CBT Nuggets has Microsoft 365 training modules for every aspect of Office 365. 

When is the End of Support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013? 

Ultimately you need to know when support for Microsoft Exchange 2013 will end. Without further ado, here's your answer:

Support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 will officially end on April 11th, 2023. 

At the time of writing, that gives businesses about 10 months to migrate to a new version of Exchange. In the enterprise world, that isn't much time. So, what options do you have to migrate away from Exchange Server 2013? Let's discuss a few of those. 

Pay Microsoft for Updates

Paying for security updates is not something businesses want to do, but it is an option. Many organizations don't realize that you can pay Microsoft to continue updating recently retired applications. That includes both Windows and Office. 

However, this option is not cheap. The only organizations that might entertain paying Microsoft for updates are Fortune 500 companies. Continuing support for end-of-life Microsoft applications starts in the millions of dollars. 

Microsoft revamped this program in 2020 as well. Instead of paying a fixed price for continued updates, the total cost depends on the organization's size and the business's upgrade plan. Fees can more than double each year, too. 

Migrate to Microsoft  365 from Exchange Server 2013

Many businesses are migrating away from hosting on-premise software, such as Exchange or Office, to subscribing to Microsoft 365. It may be time for you to consider migrating to Microsoft 365, too.

At first, Microsoft 365 may seem expensive. Microsoft 365 licenses are charged per user. Depending on your organization's Microsoft 365 business plan, each seat may cost from $6 to $30. That's a stark contrast to the cost of hosting on-premise software.

You're forgetting other costs, however. The sticker price for the on-premise versions of Microsoft applications doesn't include:

• Distributing and testing patches and security updates

• The TCO of servers, licenses, and other hardware

• The cost of administrators to manage applications

Those additional costs can easily make hosting on-premise versions of Exchange and Office the same as Microsoft 365 or more expensive. 

Want to know the best part of migrating to Microsoft 365 from Exchange Server 2013?

The process of migrating email accounts to Microsoft 365 is pretty straightforward. If you use the Express Migration option for Microsoft 365, the migration process is literally a 7-step process. Two of those steps are configuring your domain in Microsoft 365 and changing DNS. Wizards handle most of the remaining five steps. Migrating to Microsoft 365 is that easy. 

Can I Still Host My Own Version of Exchange Server?

Microsoft understands that not all organizations can move to Microsoft 365. Though it truly is the better option from a management and cost standpoint, some organizations can't use Azure Exchange due to regulations. For example, their data must be kept on-site.

That includes emails. Because emails can't be saved to the cloud, the business must use Exchange Server on-premise. Your business can still purchase newer versions of Exchange. 

Removing and upgrading to newer versions of Exchange on-site is not always the most straightforward process. Microsoft still has utilities to help with this process. Migrating data itself isn't the tricky part, however. It's staging and managing the hardware and networking services that are difficult. That means your team will need to know how to host Exchange on-premise. 

On the bright side, if you are currently using Exchange 2013, your team should already know how to host your own instance of Exchange Server. In this case, a quick training course should be more than enough to bring most IT techs up to speed with the newest versions of Exchange.