Against Microsoft 365 – the commentary: Forced into the cloud by end of support

▤ Summary

The article argues that Microsoft is pushing customers from perpetual Office licenses toward Microsoft 365 subscriptions and tighter cloud dependency. It highlights the coming price increases on July 1, 2026 and the end of support for Office 2021, Exchange 2016, and Exchange 2019 as pressure points that force migration decisions. The piece also frames digital sovereignty as a response, pointing to state-level moves in Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria toward open-source alternatives. Overall, it warns that support deadlines and ecosystem lock-in can make migration decisions more urgent and more expensive over time.

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Microsoft

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