Microsoft: Over 50 Software and Services to End in 2026

Details

Microsoft, similar to Google, regularly cleans up its software and services. The announcement details the end-of-life cycle for numerous products and services, requiring users to plan for deprecation, end of support, or major modifications. The list includes various versions of Office suite components (Excel, Word, PowerPoint 2021/LTSC), Windows operating systems, and multiple Azure cloud services. Of particular relevance to the healthcare IT sector are several APIs related to data interoperability and AI functions. Specifically listed is the deprecation of "Azure API for FHIR," indicating changes in how FHIR resources are accessed or supported. Furthermore, there are multiple versions of APIs related to computer vision (Vision) and document processing (Document Intelligence/Form Recognizer) being retired or updated. Support termination is also announced for older versions of monitoring tools like Azure Monitor and messaging components such as Service Bus. This extensive list of end-of-support dates mandates that users, especially vendors providing healthcare information systems (HIS/EHR), must develop comprehensive migration plans to ensure continued compatibility and security. The announcement emphasizes the need to transition to current Long Term Support (LTS) versions and updated cloud services to maintain operational continuity in critical infrastructure.