The end of the road for Lync Phone Edition (LPE)

Not sure if you noticed, but Microsoft made an announcement back around the Ignite time frame that they were going to disable TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in Office 365. Originally, they stated they were going to do this in March of 2018. Many of us wondered what impact this would have on Lync Phone Edition. Well, Microsoft thought about it, then decided to delay implementing the change until October 31st. When they moved the date, they confirmed that Lync Phone Edition would not be updated to support TLS 1.2 and that after that date, it would no longer work with Office 365.

Why would Microsoft do this? In the ever increasing world of threats, TLS 1.0 and 1.1 have known flaws. Many organizations (such as those in regulated industries such as securities) have policies stating that TLS 1.0 and 1.1 be disabled. Currently, Microsoft has said there are no known vulnerabilities in their implementation of TLS but it could be just a matter of time. Therefore, Microsoft is being proactive by disabling TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in Office 365. You can find out more about how to prepare for TLS 1.2 in Office 365 here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4057306/preparing-for-tls-1-2-in-office-365.

At this point, you may be wondering, does this affect me? You can ask yourself two questions:

  1. Do I have Lync Phone Edition devices?
  2. Do I use Office 365 (Such as Exchange Online or Skype for Business Online)?

If the answer to both of these questions is no, you are safe, for now. If you answered yes to the first question and no the second, you are ok unless your organization implements a similar strategy and disables TLS 1.0 and 1.1 and/or you need to call people from your Lync Phone Edition who utilize Skype for Business Online.

So, what can you do? Great question. You can upgrade your device to a Microsoft 3rd Party Interop Partner (3PIP) device. These devices are certified to work with Skype for Business and Skype for Business Online. Due to this certification, they will continue to work after Microsoft implements their change. Some of the partners are offering trade-ins.

My friends at AudioCodes are doing a “Trade-up” progam. You can find out more about at http://online.audiocodes.com/lpeupgradeprogram. I’ve been a big fan of the AudioCodes handsets. AudioCodes handsets have all the modern features such as Boss/Admin, resiliency, hot-desk support, and more. In addition, AudioCodes has their IP Phone Manager (IPPM) to manage the phones. IPPM gives you a lot more control over settings and firmware than we have in the native tools today.

As we look to the future, it’s good to know that the 3PIP certified phones will also continue to work after the change over to Microsoft Teams. These devices will be able to place calls and join Teams meetings.

Take the call to action and look for outdated devices on your network. I’ve been surprised at how many organizations I’ve spoken to recently that are still utilizing these devices. It’s awesome to know that they have had such a long life. Time to look to the future!