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Software Life Cycle

Software applications are rapidly changing in the IT world and, as such, have an associated life cycle. OIT provides the software guide below with the following phases:

  1. Early Adoption: Software that is either in a limited release state or released with some underlying compatibility issues.
  2. Recommended: Applications that have been thoroughly tested and are endorsed for use by OIT.
  3. Upgrade Soon: Applications that have been released for some time and generally function well. Some compatibility issues may exist with new applications.
  4. Upgrade Now: Software needs to be upgraded, has many security vulnerabilities, and is no longer supported by vendors.

*Please Note: Operating systems and software recommendations below do not directly correlate to what is supported by OIT. Please visit the Supported Software and Hardware page for more information.

Operating Systems 

Early AdoptionRecommendedUpgrade SoonUpgrade Now
None

macOS 15 Sequoia

macOS 14 Sonoma

Windows 11 (22H2 or newer)

macOS 13 Ventura

Windows 11 (base)

Windows 10

macOS 12 Monterey (and older)

Windows 10 (1903 or older)

Productivity Applications 

Early AdoptionRecommendedUpgrade SoonUpgrade Now
None

Office 365*

Office Online*

Google Workspace*

Office 2019 Office 2016

* IdentiKeyUsername@colorado.edu and IdentiKey password credentials are required to log in and download software.

Web Browsers 

Early AdoptionRecommendedUpgrade SoonUpgrade Now
None

Edge

Safari**

Chrome*

Firefox*

NoneInternet Explorer 11 and older

* Most up to date browser version
** Apple applications (e.g. Safari) come pre-installed with a particular Mac OS X version.

Email & Calendar 

Early AdoptionRecommendedUpgrade SoonUpgrade Now
None

Outlook 365*

Outlook Online*

Outlook 2019

 

Outlook 2015

Outlook 2015

 

* IdentiKeyUsername@colorado.edu and IdentiKey password credentials are required to log in and download software.