Earlier this year we wrote about Windows 10 going end-of-life (EOL) on Oct 14, 2025. The key takeaway from that blog is to start planning and executing upgrades to Windows 11 now. That begs the question, what else is retiring in 2025 that might need some planning?
VMware vSphere 7
VMware vSphere 7 reaches End of Life Oct 2, 2025. Whether you have migrated to the new subscription licensing or not, VMware will no longer be patching vSphere 7 and support will be on a “best effort” basis. There are a few hardware requirement changes that may prevent servers from being upgraded. These requirements should be researched in advance to avoid a nasty surprise in your 2025 budgets.
Need Assistance?
Vista can assist you with hardware compatibility checks, pre-upgrade health checks, license upgrades and renewals, and we can do the upgrade work. If there is a substantial issue with upgrading and you think you might not want to stay with VMware anymore, we can help you investigate alternatives such as:
Microsoft Exchange Server
Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 reach the end of the Extended Support phase on Oct 14, 2025. If you still have an Exchange Server on-premises that isn’t just a management server, you will need to upgrade to Exchange SE (Subscription Edition). Exchange SE will have several features removed that might still be in use in your organization as well as security protocol updates that may impact end users. You should start planning now for what might be a disruptive and expensive upgrade or migration to Exchange Online (Microsoft 365).
We're Here to Help
Vista can assist with pre-upgrade health checks, license upgrades and renewals, hardware upgrades if needed, and migration/upgrade labor.
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office 2016 and 2019 will also reach the end of the Extended Support phase Oct 14, 2025. Microsoft Office applications are highly targeted by attackers and the inability to receive future updates would be a major cybersecurity problem. Organizations still using older versions of Microsoft Office will want to upgrade their users to 2021 or the Microsoft 365 Apps for Business.
Looking for Guidance?
Vista can assist with assessments/inventories, upgrade planning, staff augmentation for assisting with end users, and deployment projects.
Dynamics
Dynamics 2015 will reach End of Support in 2025. The support end date is determined by the component of Dynamics. Support for Dynamics C5, CRM, NAV, and SL all end January 14. Support for Dynamics GP 2015 and Dynamics 2015 R2 both end April 8. Support for Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises ends Oct 14.
Our Experts Can Help
Vista can help your organization evaluate other ERP options or help you find an upgrade partner if you don’t already have one.
FortiOS 7.0
FortiOS 7.0 goes End of Support September 2025. FortiOS 6.4 was extended from September 2024 to March 2026 due to delays in getting new products certified by NIST as compliant with FIPS 140-3 (required for US Dept of Defense). FortiOS 7.0 might get the same treatment. These delays are not uncommon and not necessarily Fortinet’s fault. A quick skim through NIST’s to-do list, which is the last step in the process, shows other vendor products that have been in “Review Pending” status since April 2023 and even one product in “Coordination” status since Nov 2022.
Honorable Mentions:
- SQL Server 2019 goes into Extended Support Feb 2025
- Entra ID legacy MFA and SSPR policies are being moved into the Entra ID Authentication
methods policy September 2025. - HPE ProLiant Gen 10 Plus goes End-of-Sale
We're here to help if you need assistance planning and executing upgrades! |
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