Microsoft has focused and invested a lot on AI and almost every product from Microsoft has some form of AI tool built-in. Devoid of all the AI and internet services, Microsoft has released Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2024 now.
Microsoft releases Office LTSC version
Since Microsoft’s focus has shifted to making better AI tools available for users in many ways, Microsoft is committed to providing products such as Office for customers like hospitals, governments, and others who do not want to connect to the internet while using the tools. Data on the internet is not secure so as the AI tools on the products store sensitive data. To address this issue, Microsoft announced Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2024 earlier this year. Today, it is generally available as the perpetual version.
Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 comes with new features that are available and added in the Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprises in the last three years. The new features that are added to Office LTSC 2024 are Dynamic Charts, text and array functions in Excel, improved search and meeting options in Outlook, and improvements in terms of security, performance, and accessibility. Office LTSC 2024 is available under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy with support for five years. It can be deployed and managed easily in hybrid situations where customers need both Microsoft 365 Apps and Office LTSC versions.
Compared to the previous Office LTSC, the new Office LTSC 2024 is a significant improvement in terms of everything. Though it does not have cloud-based capabilities, real-time collaborative tools, AI tools, etc like in Microsoft 365 Apps, it is fully secure and reliable with security updates in time. Customers like computer labs or hospitals can get device-based licensing as many users share the devices. They can also use extended offline access to Microsoft 365 apps on devices that need to be disconnected from the internet for up to six months.
Difference between Microsoft 365 Apps and Office LTSC 2024
The following are the major differences that make Office LTSC 2024 a superior choice for customers who require data privacy and security.
Microsoft announced in its blog that Office LTSC 2024 is better only for customers where it is not possible to connect to the internet all the time or where there are some data privacy and security issues. Office LTSC 2024 is available for all existing commercial and government volume-licensed customers today along with new on-premises versions of Project and Visio. From October 1, the products will be available to all.
