With support and security updates for Microsoft Office 2013 officially coming to an end on 11 April 2023, the time to act is now. Once support is withdrawn, Microsoft will no longer provide technical support or fix bugs, or issue any patches or fixes for vulnerabilities in Office 2013 that might only be discovered once support has already come to an end.

For any business, when it comes to cybersecurity and compliance, being proactive is key, so Tarsus Distribution highly recommends upgrading customers to Microsoft Office 2021 as soon as possible.

Planning ahead

For these and other reasons, planning ahead for the end of any business-critical software’s life is critical for businesses to stay operational. Alongside end of support comes a wide variety of inevitable headaches, meaning organisations in every sector need to listen to the vendors’ warnings and plan ahead to make sure they have all their bases covered.

After all, companies sometimes underestimate how changes or upgrades to systems often disrupt the business, cause delays and lead to unexpected expenses.

As the world’s leading software vendor, Microsoft has given ample warning of the end-of-support date for Office 2013, meaning a migration is required to a new version of the software or a new software suite needs to be installed altogether. In both instances, major resources come into play in terms of changing business processes and moving data and apps to a new platform.

Not only will this ensure that security patches are kept up to date, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations, but Microsoft Office 2021 also comes packed with new performance features that allow users to take productivity to a whole new level.

The time is now

There’s no time like the present to help your customers avoid putting their files and devices at risk by encouraging them to buy Microsoft Office 2021 or upgrade to Microsoft 365, a 12-month subscription that includes all Microsoft’s latest and greatest productivity software and apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint with premium features, advanced security to protect data and devices, and extra cloud storage to help save files with ease.

Some enhancements offered by Office 2021 include:

Autosave: For starters, customers need never worry about losing files again. Microsoft Office 2021 features autosave as well as improved version history, allowing users to go back to earlier drafts of seamlessly backed-up documents and edit and share with confidence.
Enhanced collaboration: Similarly, collaboration is made easier as users can now work together on the same document at the same time and see other users make live changes with real-time editing and collaboration in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
Adding a personal touch: Finally, with Office 2021 users have a real opportunity to make their presentations stand out by adding a personal touch. They can now enjoy access to a content library of 880 icons, 50 videos, 40 stickers, and expressive animated GIFs, as well as record narrations to more effectively engage audiences.

Helping customers stay ahead of the curve

Research has shone the spotlight on how customers replacing their Windows devices are also likely to buy Office 2021. In fact, nearly half of all new Office licences are purchased with a new device.

According to a TechAisle SMB PC Study from 2019, a staggering 85% of small or medium-sized business (SMB) customers have PCs that are more than four years old.

In addition, Microsoft market research – Office Home & Business Small Business Research Report, February 2020 – revealed that nearly half (46%) of SMB customers using Office Home & Business 2010 are likely to upgrade.

Microsoft’s research also revealed that 70% of SMB customers purchase Office through the same channel as their PC purchases. These customers are likely to purchase the latest version of Microsoft Office when they buy a new PC. Attaching Office to PC sales is a great upsell opportunity.

A good partner is key

One way to make software end-of-support and the necessary switchover as easy as possible is by having a good channel partner on board – a partner like Tarsus Distribution, which has a deep knowledge and understanding of customers’ software needs, as well as how to migrate to a new solution without any business disruption is key to success.

There are normally several change requests during an end-of-support migration, and having a trusted channel partner can lay the foundations for a solid framework to ensure the process of dealing with the transition, planning and executing any changes within the business is as seamless as possible.

Help your customers stay ahead of the curve by highlighting how now is a good time to upgrade their machines and get the latest version of Office so they can organise, create and collaborate more efficiently than ever.