Microsoft 365 Updates and Retirements EDU & Public Sector IT Teams Should Prepare for Now

Microsoft continues to roll out platform changes that impact Microsoft Intune, Windows security, Defender for Endpoint, and Microsoft Teams. While these updates improve security and modernize device management, they also introduce new requirements that could affect schools, colleges, universities, and government organizations if they aren’t planned for in advance.

For education and public sector IT teams already managing lean resources, understanding these Microsoft 365 retirements and upcoming changes is critical for avoiding disruptions to users, devices, and security operations.

Below are the five Microsoft changes organizations should add to their IT roadmap.

1. Kerberos RC4 Hardening Reaches Final Enforcement in July 2026

What is changing?

Microsoft’s July 2026 Windows security updates complete the final rollout of protections for CVE-2026-20833, a Kerberos information disclosure vulnerability.

Beginning with the July update:

• Audit Mode is permanently removed from Windows domain controllers.
• Enforcement Mode becomes mandatory.
• Kerberos authentication will enforce AES-SHA1 encryption, eliminating the ability to fall back to RC4.

Organizations that still rely on legacy Kerberos configurations may experience authentication failures after installing the update.

Why this matters for education and government

Many higher education institutions, K-12 districts, municipalities, and state agencies continue to operate:

• Legacy applications
• Older network appliances
• Non-Windows systems
• Azure Files environments
• Long-lived service accounts

Any of these may still depend on RC4 encryption.

Without remediation, authentication failures could interrupt access to:

• File shares
• Learning management systems
• Administrative applications
• Azure Virtual Desktop
• Identity-dependent services

Recommended actions

Before deploying the July security updates:

• Review Kerberos-related System Event Logs for RC4 dependencies.
• Identify applications or service accounts still using RC4.
• Migrate accounts to AES encryption whenever possible.
• Test non-Windows Kerberos interoperability.
• Validate Azure Files authentication before deployment.

2. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Support Ends for Amazon Linux 2 (ARM64)

What is changing?

Beginning October 31, 2026, Microsoft will retire Defender for Endpoint support for Amazon Linux 2 running on ARM64 processors.

After that date, affected devices will no longer receive:

• Security updates
• Product enhancements
• Bug fixes
• Microsoft support

Organizations running Amazon Linux 2 on AMD64/x86_64 are not affected.

Why it matters

Many education and government organizations use Amazon Web Services (AWS) for:

• Research workloads
• Student services
• Web applications
• Data processing
• Public-facing services

If Defender remains installed on unsupported ARM64 systems, those workloads become increasingly vulnerable over time.

Recommended actions

IT administrators should:

• Inventory Amazon Linux ARM64 devices.
• Confirm Defender versions.
• Prevent upgrades beyond the final supported release before migration.
• Plan migration to a supported Linux distribution before October 31.

3. Turnitin Similarity Integration Retires from Microsoft Teams

What is changing?

Microsoft will retire the legacy Turnitin Similarity integration in Microsoft Teams Assignments on December 31, 2026.

Institutions should transition to Turnitin Feedback Studio for Microsoft Teams, which becomes Microsoft’s supported long-term integration.

Why higher education should pay attention

This change primarily affects:

• Colleges and universities
• Community colleges
• K-12 districts using Microsoft Teams Assignments

Organizations relying on the legacy integration could lose plagiarism detection functionality if migration isn’t completed before retirement.

Recommended actions

Education IT teams should:

• Identify whether instructors currently use the legacy integration.
• Coordinate migration planning with academic technology teams.
• Update faculty documentation and training.
• Monitor migration communications from Turnitin.

4. Microsoft Intune Will Require iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

What is changing?

Following Apple’s next major operating system release, Microsoft Intune will require iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 as the minimum supported versions for:

• Intune Company Portal
• Mobile Application Management (MAM)
• App Protection Policies (APP)

Organizations with devices unable to upgrade will eventually fall outside Microsoft’s supported configuration.

Why this matters for schools and public sector agencies

Many organizations continue using older:

• District-issued iPads
• Shared classroom devices
• Government-issued iPhones
• Field service tablets

Some of these devices cannot upgrade to iOS 18 or iPadOS 18, creating future management and security challenges.

Shared or userless devices enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment (ADE) have separate support requirements that should also be reviewed.

Recommended actions

Administrators should:

• Use Intune reporting to identify devices below iOS/iPadOS 18.
• Compare inventory against Apple’s compatibility lists.
• Budget for hardware replacement where necessary.
• Update device lifecycle planning before support changes take effect.

5. Microsoft Intune Will Require macOS 15 (Sequoia)

What is changing?

Microsoft Intune will also raise its minimum supported version for macOS to macOS 15 (Sequoia).

Existing enrolled devices running older versions will remain enrolled, but:

• They will no longer be officially supported.
• New Macs running macOS 14 or earlier will be unable to enroll.

Why it matters

Many universities and public sector organizations maintain Mac fleets that remain in service for six to eight years.

Without hardware refresh planning, organizations may encounter:

• Enrollment failures
• Unsupported endpoints
• Increased security risk
• Reduced Microsoft support eligibility

Recommended actions

Review:

• Current macOS versions across managed devices
• Hardware compatibility with macOS Sequoia
• Replacement schedules for aging Mac devices
• Shared and userless Mac enrollment scenarios

Preparing Your Microsoft 365 Environment

These updates illustrate Microsoft’s continued shift toward stronger security baselines and modern operating system support. While each change affects a different area of Microsoft 365, they all share one common theme: organizations that prepare early will avoid last-minute disruptions.

For education institutions and public sector agencies, proactive planning should include:

• Reviewing device inventories
• Identifying unsupported operating systems
• Testing authentication dependencies
• Updating hardware lifecycle plans
• Communicating changes with faculty, staff, and end users

Staying ahead of Microsoft’s retirement timelines helps reduce operational risk while ensuring your Microsoft 365 environment remains secure, compliant, and fully supported.

Final Thoughts

Managing Microsoft 365 in education and government environments requires balancing security, compliance, aging hardware, and limited IT resources. Changes like Kerberos hardening, Intune minimum OS requirements, Defender retirements, and Microsoft Teams integration updates may seem incremental individually—but together they can significantly impact your environment if left unaddressed.

By reviewing these changes now and incorporating them into your technology roadmap, your organization can minimize disruption, maintain security, and ensure users continue to have reliable access to the services they depend on.