The end of Office 2010: how to migrate away from it
It’s official: the decade-old Office 2010 will reach the end of its support lifecycle on April 9, 2017. After that, Microsoft will no longer issue updates or provide any technical support to users of the software suite, which includes Word 2010, Excel 2010 and PowerPoint 2010 among others. It also means that users will be vulnerable to malware attacks as well as security threats. So if you haven’t migrated away from Office 2010 yet, it’s time to do so ASAP!
What you can use instead
If you are still using the old Microsoft Office suite (Office 2003 or 2007), then you need to prepare for the eventuality that there will be no more support for it. Fortunately, there are a number of good alternatives available. If you’re not sure which one is best for your needs, this blog post can help guide you in the right direction. Lightning is a great choice for those who want something lightweight and easy-to-use. The only downside to this option is that it does not have an Outlook equivalent and does not work with Office 365 yet. On the other hand, LibreOffice offers many of the same features as Office but also has better compatibility with other file formats like PDFs and spreadsheets.
Consequences of using out-of-date software
Using out-of-date software can leave you vulnerable to malware and outdated features. It also means that you’ll miss out on the latest updates and may not be compatible with other programs. If you’re running an old version, consider upgrading or switching over to Google Docs for a free alternative. While there are many options, here are some things to keep in mind when deciding which program is best for you: Compatibility: The compatibility with your operating system is key. The more complicated it is to switch over to a new program, the more likely you are to stick with your current one.
What documents are safe?
Microsoft will no longer offer technical support for Office 2010 after 2020. It’s time for you and your business to make the switch. A good place to start is with your most important documents, because they’re most likely in the formats that are compatible with the new Microsoft suite. Fortunately, Microsoft has made available a free tool called Save as PDF or XPS, which will let you save any document as a PDF or XPS file. These files can be opened on Windows computers running both Office 2007 and Office 2016 without conversion issues, so this should be a go-to option when exporting important files from your old Office suite. If you’re still running Windows 7 or 8, then upgrading might be worth considering too – especially if you rely heavily on Excel or Outlook.
Compatible alternatives to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
There are a number of alternatives for all the Microsoft apps, so don’t panic. You can use Google Docs, Apple Pages and Numbers or LibreOffice instead of Word. Keynote and PowerPoint or Google Slides or Impress can work as a replacement for Excel, and Mozilla Thunderbird is an alternative for Outlook. Your IT department might be able to help you find compatible replacements for these programs. If not, there are plenty of tutorials online that show you how to switch to one of the many free alternatives out there.
