Sooner or later every small-business owner has to upgrade his company’s software. No matter how well the old software seems to be doing, at some point, it will start to fail or fail to support newer technology. That time may be now for some. Others may simply prefer to stay current with new software and other technology as they emerge. Regardless of whether you need or want to upgrade, now is as good a time as any to do it.

With Microsoft’s Big Easy offer, small-business owners can receive partner subsidy dollars when they buy or renew current eligible open software agreements. Business owners can save 15% off Microsoft’s estimated retail price in subsidy dollars for single products or 20% off when purchasing two or more eligible products.

Although there’s still plenty of time for small-business owners to take advantage of this special deal, it won’t last forever. The offer ends March 31, 2012. Eligible products are Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Exchange 2010, Windows Server 2008 R2, Small-Business Server 2011, Microsoft Lync 2010 and SharePoint 2010.

Special savings aren’t the only reason why now is a good time to upgrade. Support for Office 2003, Windows XP and Exchange 2003 is ending. If small-business owners have computers that are still running the software after April 8, 2014, they can expect to receive no more new security updates, non-security hotfixes or free paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.

They have until July 14, 2015 for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 SP2 Extended Support. They can learn more by visiting Microsoft’s blog.

Change can be scary and frustrating, but it’s a part of life. Those small-business owners who want to succeed in their industries need to stay current with the latest technological advances. The chance to save 15% or 20% in the process should make the decision that much easier.