Microsoft revealed a new long-term support policy on Tuesday, along with upcoming technologies to boost security and reduce spam.
Speaking at TechEd, the software giant"s annual conference for information technology administrators, Andy Lees, vice president of the company"s server and tools business, said Microsoft will now guarantee a minimum of 10 years of support for all business and developer products.
Microsoft currently cuts off its most basic level of support after eight years. The company has been widely criticized for dropping support for older products that are still widely used, including versions of the Windows operating system. Lees said the new policy would provide more reliability for corporate customers. "From the time of shipment, you can guarantee a much more predictable level of support," he said. Lees also promised a number of advances on the e-mail front, especially when it comes to cutting down on junk e-mail.