How the change will affect corporate networks and their security.
Microsoft recently announced the discontinuation of NTLM development in Windows Server, and soon another network feature was added to the list. This time, the company decided to stop supporting DirectAccess.
DirectAccess was introduced in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 as a new method for connecting clients to corporate networks without installing a VPN. Since then, Microsoft has developed new network capabilities to improve the user experience and is ready to replace DirectAccess with a more modern solution.
According to the official documentation, Microsoft recommends switching from DirectAccess to Always On VPN. The document states: "DirectAccess is deprecated and will be removed in future releases of Windows. We recommend switching from DirectAccess to Always On VPN."
On the official Microsoft Learn website, there is a special page explaining why you should switch from DirectAccess to Always On VPN and how IT administrators can implement these changes.
In addition to DirectAccess and NTLM, Microsoft also discontinued support for the following features in 2024: GUI for Driver Verifier, API NPLogonNotify and NPPPasswordChangeNotify, TLS server authentication with short RSA keys, and Test Base for Microsoft 365.
It is important to note that deprecated features and deleted features are not the same thing. Components that are no longer under development may remain in the operating system for a while and continue to work, but they will not receive new features or fixes. Microsoft eventually removes them from Windows, as it did with WordPad, which will no longer be part of the Windows 11 version 24H2 update.
You can track the list of deprecated features in client versions of Windows here. Also recently published is a list of features that Microsoft is no longer developing in Windows Server 2025. You can view it here.
These changes underscore Microsoft's commitment to modernize its products and improve the user experience by offering more modern and efficient solutions.
Microsoft recently announced the discontinuation of NTLM development in Windows Server, and soon another network feature was added to the list. This time, the company decided to stop supporting DirectAccess.
DirectAccess was introduced in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 as a new method for connecting clients to corporate networks without installing a VPN. Since then, Microsoft has developed new network capabilities to improve the user experience and is ready to replace DirectAccess with a more modern solution.
According to the official documentation, Microsoft recommends switching from DirectAccess to Always On VPN. The document states: "DirectAccess is deprecated and will be removed in future releases of Windows. We recommend switching from DirectAccess to Always On VPN."
On the official Microsoft Learn website, there is a special page explaining why you should switch from DirectAccess to Always On VPN and how IT administrators can implement these changes.
In addition to DirectAccess and NTLM, Microsoft also discontinued support for the following features in 2024: GUI for Driver Verifier, API NPLogonNotify and NPPPasswordChangeNotify, TLS server authentication with short RSA keys, and Test Base for Microsoft 365.
It is important to note that deprecated features and deleted features are not the same thing. Components that are no longer under development may remain in the operating system for a while and continue to work, but they will not receive new features or fixes. Microsoft eventually removes them from Windows, as it did with WordPad, which will no longer be part of the Windows 11 version 24H2 update.
You can track the list of deprecated features in client versions of Windows here. Also recently published is a list of features that Microsoft is no longer developing in Windows Server 2025. You can view it here.
These changes underscore Microsoft's commitment to modernize its products and improve the user experience by offering more modern and efficient solutions.
