Microsoft Extends Support for Legacy Products

On Monday, Microsoft revealed a plan to help its business customers continue to obtain support--often indefinitely--for legacy products. Thanks to a new version of Microsoft's Custom Support Agreement (CSA), the software maker's customers will be able to schedule product migrations based on their own deadlines, assuming they don't mind paying for the privilege.

Microsoft still believes that customers should migrate to new product versions before mainstream support expires. But now, companies can consider the cost of additional support when planning migrations from legacy Microsoft products. The new CSA model also streamlines pricing so that customers pay for only what they need on a per-device basis, Microsoft said.

Previously, customers could enter into a two-year custom support agreement for certain legacy products, after which time there were no more support options. Now, Microsoft has extended this deadline for many, but not all, legacy products. Customers will also need to subscribe to Microsoft's Premier Support Services to obtain support for certain products.

Although many customers will likely celebrate the new support plan, there are still some questions that Microsoft needs to answer. The company hasn't yet clarified which legacy products will be eligible. And as for the length of support, Microsoft said it could be indefinite, assuming sufficient demand.