Hi,
so you are basically on the same version. I strongly recommend to apply hotfixes - the highest number now is 12, though 10 and 11 are not yet released. Especially if you have CRM integrated with emails, then Hotfix 5 is a must.
SP8 was announced to be released by end of Q1/2015.
I will try to reread all docs regarding SOAP and Python variables, the addressing is really weird.
Regards,
Dawood.