Microsoft to Offer Office 365 ProPlus on Windows Server 2019

July 11, 2019 Robert Noonan

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Microsoft has for the first time announced that Office 365 ProPlus will in fact be coming to Windows Server 2019. This is welcome news for Microsoft customers who were facing deadlines to migrate from Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012 R2.

Office 365 ProPlus on Windows Server 2019 – welcome news for many

Microsoft has been clearly positioning Office 365 ProPlus as the way forward for Microsoft Office in businesses. Unfortunately, though it hasn’t been supported on Windows Server 2019, and until recently this didn’t look like it was going to change anytime soon. Especially as it could be seen as a way for Microsoft to encourage more desktop virtualization deployments to go to Windows 10 Enterprise Multi-Session or VDI on Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD).

Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s corporate VP for Microsoft 365 posted the news in the official Microsoft 365 blog recently, along with other details concerning Windows Virtual Desktop and the tie-in of FSLogix. Unfortunately, he didn’t go into much detail about the reasons behind this turnaround but mentioned that this would be of assistance for those Microsoft customers dealing with the deadlines for migrating from Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012 R2. So that is certainly good news for those enterprises who use Windows Server for virtual desktop services.

You can take a look at his blog post here, but this is the point he was making: “While Office 365 ProPlus provides the best experience when running on Windows 10, we know some of you rely on Windows Server to provide virtual desktop services for your users. For those still needing to migrate from Windows Server 2008/R2 before it reaches end of support in January 2020, or from Windows Server 2012/R2 before the October 2020 end of support for connectivity to Office 365 data, I’m happy to share that we’ll support Office 365 ProPlus running on Windows Server 2019. This enables you to take advantage of the Files On-Demand capabilities coming to Windows Server 2019 I mentioned above, and to leverage the latest Windows Server platform.”

It was clear that moving desktop virtualization environments from Windows Server towards Windows 10 was going to be a long-term process. With this announcement though, it looks like it could be until the mid-2020s before this takes place. Ultimately, this offers businesses more options when deploying Windows Virtual Desktop, which for many will be a good thing.

Something to keep in mind though is how to solve the issue of printing in a virtualized environments, so make sure to take a look at how ThinPrint is working on ways to ensure that integrating the local print infrastructure can be easily achieved.

Robert Noonan

Robert Noonan has worked at Cortado Holding since 2010. Following his university studies, he worked in software and logistic companies in Ireland, Russia, Austria and Germany. He is resolute about getting to the heart of technology and communicating its benefits, allowing as many as possible to take advantage of the company’s products. Initially coming from a non-tech background, he believes the deciding factor for technology adoption and success remains a focus on simplicity, productivity and ease-of-use for all stakeholders. Robert Noonan holds a degree in International Business and Languages, specialising in international marketing. An avid traveller, he remains passionately interested in culture, language, food and volunteering.