Altiris End of Life: The Product Is Now Symantec ITMS Under Broadcom — 8.6 Died June 1, 2026, and Everything Before 8.5 Is Long Gone
“Altiris end of life” is really three questions, because the product has had three owners. Altiris the company was acquired by Symantec in 2007; the suite became Symantec IT Management Suite (ITMS) on the Symantec Management Platform; and since Broadcom's 2019 acquisition of Symantec's enterprise business, its lifecycle is published under Broadcom's support portal — where almost nothing says “Altiris” anymore. The answers, verified at Broadcom: every version before 8.5 is end of life for both support and engineering support; ITMS 8.6 and its component suites reached end of support on June 1, 2026; the 8.7 line has no announced date yet; and ITMS 8.8 / 8.8.1 is the supported target.
Key Dates at a Glance
- ITMS versions before 8.5: end of life (support and engineering support), per Broadcom KB 173849
- ITMS 8.5: released 2018-09-28 (final release update 8.5 RU4, 2020-07-09)
- ITMS 8.6: released 2021-02-16; end of support 2026-06-01 (advisory published 2025-05-22)
- ITMS 8.7: released 2023-02-14; 8.7.3 released 2024-11-04; no announced end of support
- ITMS 8.8: released 2025-05-22; 8.8.1 released 2026-02-10 — current, the migration target Broadcom names
One Product, Three Names
The naming history is the reason lifecycle searches fail. Altiris built the Notification Server platform and the deployment/inventory/patch solutions; Symantec acquired it in 2007 and shipped it for a decade as Symantec IT Management Suite (the platform underneath is still called Symantec Management Platform, and the agent on every endpoint is still the Symantec Management Agent); Broadcom acquired Symantec's enterprise software business in 2019 and publishes all lifecycle data on its own support portal under the Symantec division. If you are searching for dates, search “Symantec IT Management Suite” — the Altiris name survives mainly in registry keys, service names and muscle memory.
The June 1, 2026 Cutoff: What It Covered
Broadcom's advisory of May 22, 2025 set end of support for IT Management Suite 8.6 and the suites built on it: Asset Management Suite, Client Management Suite, Server Management Suite, Deployment Solution, Inventory Solution, Patch Management Solution and Software Management Solution. That date has passed. An 8.6 estate today gets no fixes for the Notification Server, the site services, or the agent on every managed endpoint — and the advisory's remedy is explicit: “plan for the migration to Symantec IT Management Suite 8.8 as soon as possible,” with extended support beyond the date available on request through Broadcom account managers or partners.
The irony worth stating plainly: this is the platform whose job is patching everything else. Running patch management from an unpatched console inverts its purpose — it is the same argument we make about automation controllers, and it is why endpoint-management platforms deserve the shortest leash in the estate.
8.7: Supported, but on the Clock
The 8.7 line (8.7 in February 2023, then 8.7.1, 8.7.2 and 8.7.3 through November 2024) has no published end-of-support advisory as of this article. Two planning facts: Broadcom announced 8.6's end about twelve months ahead, and 8.8 is already the named target for everyone else. Treat 8.7 as the version you migrate from on your own schedule rather than Broadcom's. When an 8.7 advisory is published we will add the date here.
8.8 / 8.8.1: The Supported Line
ITMS 8.8 shipped May 22, 2025 and 8.8.1 on February 10, 2026. Upgrades from 8.6/8.7 run in place through the Symantec Installation Manager; the usual long poles are the Notification Server's underlying Windows Server and SQL Server versions (both have their own clocks — see Windows Server and SQL Server), site-server upgrades, and agent rollout across the estate.
Your Options From 8.6 or Older
- Upgrade to 8.8.x. Broadcom's named path, in place via the Installation Manager. Check platform prerequisites first.
- Request extended support. The advisory says it exists, case by case, through Broadcom account managers or partners — a bridge with a negotiated price, not a program with a public date.
- Replatform. Estates already consolidating endpoint management (Intune, Tanium, Workspace ONE and the rest of that market) should still upgrade or bridge first — running the migration from an unsupported console adds risk to the one project that touches every machine.
Whichever path: inventory what the console actually manages before moving — the forgotten Deployment Solution jobs and custom inventory classes are what break, not the platform upgrade itself. For how third-party support programs work generally, see extended support options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Altiris end of life?
The Altiris brand is long gone — the product lives on as Symantec IT Management Suite (ITMS) under Broadcom — but the versions most estates still call 'Altiris' are dead or dying. Everything before 8.5 is end of life for both support and engineering support, and ITMS 8.6 (with its component suites) reached end of support on June 1, 2026. The supported line today is ITMS 8.8 / 8.8.1.
When did ITMS 8.6 reach end of support?
June 1, 2026 — announced in Broadcom's product advisory of May 22, 2025, which covers IT Management Suite 8.6 and the related suites: Asset Management Suite, Client Management Suite, Server Management Suite, Deployment Solution, Inventory Solution, Patch Management Solution and Software Management Solution. Broadcom's advisory directs customers to migrate to ITMS 8.8, and notes extended support beyond the date may be requested through Broadcom account managers or partners.
Is ITMS 8.7 still supported?
Yes — Broadcom has published no end-of-support advisory for the 8.7 line (8.7 released February 14, 2023; 8.7.1, 8.7.2 and 8.7.3 through November 4, 2024). Broadcom gave roughly a year's notice for 8.6, so watch for an 8.7 advisory; the safe plan is to fold 8.7 estates into the same 8.8 migration.
What is the current version, and what should we migrate to?
ITMS 8.8, released May 22, 2025, with 8.8.1 following on February 10, 2026. Broadcom's own 8.6 end-of-support advisory names 8.8 as the migration target. Upgrades from 8.6/8.7 are in-place through the Symantec Installation Manager, with the usual gating items being the Notification Server's Windows/SQL Server versions and site-server rollout.
Why does searching 'Altiris' give such confusing answers?
Because the product has had three names: Altiris (the original company, acquired by Symantec in 2007), Symantec IT Management Suite / Symantec Management Platform (the Symantec era), and now Symantec ITMS under Broadcom (which acquired Symantec's enterprise business in 2019). Lifecycle information is published under 'Symantec IT Management Suite' on Broadcom's support portal — not under Altiris — which is why 'Altiris end of life' searches find so little.
What happens to an estate still on 8.6 or older?
The management platform that patches and inventories every endpoint stops receiving fixes itself — including for the Notification Server, site servers and the management agent deployed to every machine. Patch Management Solution also depends on current metadata; on a dead version you are administering patches from an unpatched console. Options: upgrade to 8.8.x, ask Broadcom about paid extended support (offered case-by-case per the advisory), or plan the move to another endpoint-management platform — but do it from a supported version, not from a frozen one.
Related Resources
- Windows Server end of life · SQL Server 2016 end of life — the platforms under the Notification Server
- VMware perpetual licence end of availability — the other Broadcom-era lifecycle story
- EOL Watch · EOL Checker