End of Service Dates and What They Mean For Your Software Systems

A natural stage in the life cycle of software, End of Support, or the more common End of Service (EOS) or End of Service Life (EOSL), marks the official withdrawal of technical support for specific versions and releases of software products.Renewing your Software Subscription and Support is one of the most cost-effective ways to protect your software investment. It’s important that you pay attention to end of service dates in order to keep your systems functioning properly and your workflow running smoothly.End of Service Life is like losing your support for your operating system on your computer. Your computer will still work. However, security patches will not be made, updates to applications will not be made, system firmware will degrade, your data is more at risk, etc.The risk of not updating your web browser on your laptop is similar to large enterprises who do not update and service their software.Let’s dive into the importance of paying attention to and following the end of service dates for your software systems.

What's the Difference Between End of Service Life and End of Life?

When software gets to the decline phase of its product life cycle, the company selling it, sometimes referred to as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), announces it will no longer sell it. This announcement is called the End-of-Sale date, and coincides with the End of Life (EOL) phase of that software product.While OEM updates and support will still occur for existing users, there are no new users being sold. This is typically the point when Third Party Maintenance (TPM) contractors and consultants begin to step in to offer their support and enhancements to the software.If you have registered your software or signed up for updates, you will want to pay attention to emails announcing the EOL dates. A new version announcement can sometimes signal the OEM will begin dropping older versions for sale soon.By the time End of Service Life (EOSL) occurs, all updates, support, and development has stopped by the OEM. Existing users of the affected software who decide to remain on the outdated software must make the switch to TPM companies to continue keeping their older versions viable. If they make the switch from the OEM to the TPM. Otherwise, they are left vulnerable without upgrades, patches, or support.

What Does End of Service Mean Exactly?

Let’s look at how a large software company like IBM handles EOS.It certainly sets End Of Support (EOS) dates for software products. Once set, there is time to either upgrade to the next revision level or switch to a new product.  Nothing changes when the EOS date is set. But, it is a warning that your product support status will change on the EOS date.When the EOS date is reached, the standard support process will no longer work. New tickets can only be opened if support extensions are offered and in place before the EOS. That is why it is important that you examine the product lifecycle policy.End of Service means any, or even all, of the following for your particular version of software:

• Major feature releases may be supported for a fixed period of time during the End of Life phase
• Technical support, workarounds, and bug fixes will stop
• Support during the period between EOL and EOS may only be available to people that have a paid support contract
• Online support documentation, wikis, or forums may be archived or taken offline on the End of Service date or another specified date
• Requests for features will not be accepted
• Validation of software installs may not work
• Official training for the software may no longer be available

A Product’s Life Cycle

1. Development – In this period, the software is developed and initially marketed, adopted, or sold. During this early stage, the software might still have some small issues or be lacking in features.
2. Growth – As awareness of the software grows and it becomes more stable, it enters a growth phase. Sales or distribution of the software begins to speed up, sometimes rapidly.
3. Maturity – The software has reached its peak sales or distribution. There is ongoing support for the software, but not many updates or enhancements.
4. Decline – The sales and distribution of the software begin to go down. A number of reasons contribute to this decline. It could be because it is no longer needed in the market, a superior competing product is gaining momentum, or it is not keeping up with the needs of the user, among other reasons. Whatever the reason is, the product is not selling well anymore.

What Are A Few Recent Examples of Software With Announced EOS Dates?

• FileNet: IBM FileNet Content Manager is a full-featured content management solution that helps create innovative business applications on any cloud in order to govern all enterprise content. FileNet has many BPM (Business Process Management) products under its umbrella.

• Microsoft Visual Studio

• Adobe Campaign

• LiveCycle Rights Management

• Microsoft Office

• Content Manager On Demand (CMOD): The IBM Content Manager OnDemand solution automatically captures and stores high volumes of documents including XML data sets, outbound statements, and internal production reports.

Why Are Software Support Lifecycle Policies Important?

Once your software version or release reaches End of Life (EOL) generally, or End of Support (EOS) specifically, you may find that access to entitled severity 1 technical support is no longer available. It is important that you pay attention to the software’s support lifecycle policy in order to continue using the software correctly and safely.If you ignore the policies, you could find yourself using unsecured software, putting all of your data and customer data at risk.You can even run into legal trouble by ignoring the lifecycle policies because you could be using software that no longer meets state and/or federal regulations.There are also incompatibility issues with related or integrated software to worry about when you don’t pay attention to the software lifecycle policy. The decreased reliability and increased vulnerability may prove more expensive than any TPM support options or upgrades from the OEM.

How Do I Prepare If An EOS Date Is Approaching?

IBM End of Support announcements are generally made twice a year in April and September and are subject to change.You should always confirm dates by visiting the IBM Software Support Lifecycle site.Contact an authorized IBM Business Partner like DAS for pricing and fulfillment details on your options.If you take no action, your Software Subscription and Support and Fixed Term Licenses (FTL) will renew automatically on your anniversary date. You will be invoiced based on your current rates, which may not be in your best interests.

What Are My Options When My Software Hits An EOS Date?

1. Upgrade to a newer version or release. This is your best bet. You not only maintain access to new fixes and feature packs, you can open support cases ensuring that if you do have an issue requiring immediate attention you can get it.
2. Purchase an IBM Software Support Service Extension, also known as extended support. Service Extensions allow you to get product fixes and engage with IBM support professionals for direct support after your End of Support date is reached. They are NOT available for all products so you must do your research in advance.
3. In some situations, for some products, you may obtain Continuing Support that will allow you to open cases with support professionals after the End of Support date is reached. However, Continuing Support is not available for all products and it does not include access to new fixes.

What Happens If I Am Past An EOS Date?

You must act quickly to get your software up-to-date.Otherwise, you are risking your time, money, privacy, peace of mind, and business in general by failing to run current software.Some of the problems you will encounter running software with an expired EOS include: security issues, legal issues, incompatibility with other programs so you may no longer be able to open certain documents, decreased reliability, and more.Once your software degrades over time, you won’t be able to rely on it as you did before. You also risk not keeping your skills up-to-date because you will only know how to use the older version of the software.

Where Do I Find All My Software EOS Policies?

In some cases, the OEM will announce a product’s End of Life and End of Service Life dates. But it is easy to overlook or lose track of those dates. Find accurate EOL and EOSL dates across multiple vendors by searching different databases online or your software’s website.

Who Can Help Me Decide On A Plan?

• Information Technology Managers/Directors
• IT Support Partner

• Chief Technology Officers
• Chief Executive Officers
• Government Technology Workers

Contact us at DAS today to find out about your particular EOS dates and whether you are due for an assessment, upgrade, enhancement, or maybe just recommendations on options to upgrade or patch any insufficiencies.The DAS team has also migrated a number of on-premise customers to the Cloud and has utilities developed that ensure for a cost-effective and seamless migration.