Update: It looks like Microsoft officials did confirm there would be another Office client update after Office 2019 via a blog post in September 2018 at Ignite. At that point, officials wouldn't say whether Microsoft would release more on-premises versions of its Office products in the future. Microsoft released what it calls the perpetual versions of its Office clients and on-premises Office servers in 2018 - which were branded 2019. It also will continue to support side-by-side deployment and migration from older versions of Exchange (2013, 2016 or 2019).Īlso: Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) vs G Suite: Which is best for business? The next version of Exchange Server coming in 2021 will support in-place upgrades from Exchange Server 2019 for roughly two years following release, according to a Sept. Microsoft officials said in their Ignite 2020 announcement that they will share details around names, pricing, and exact availability "later." As Office 365 expert Tony Redmond noted, instead of the current CAL-based licensing model, like Office 365 licenses, customers will pay a monthly fee to continue using Exchange on-premises (or SharePoint or Skype for Business) for the 2021 versions.
Basically, if you have a clean install of Office 365 Pro+ rather than an upgrade from previous versions of Office365 Pro+ and that install does not include Skype For Business, it is not going to work anytime soon.
The catch? The server products only will be available if customers purchase a subscription license, which will entitle them to get support, product updates, and time-zone patches.Īlso: Microsoft 365: A cheat sheet TechRepublic Microsoft is aware of this problem and is working on a fix. Microsoft is readying new versions of Office for Windows and Mac, as well as for Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and Skype for Business for release in the second half of 2021.