You’ve all heard the rumors. “Sage 500 ERP is going to be sunsetted soon” is the whisper across the Internet… but is this whisper true? If your company has a Sage 500 ERP system, comments like this can confuse and worry you, and your ERP system is supposed to reduce stress, not cause it! Today you can officially stop worrying, because we’re here to tell you that Sage 500 ERP is here to stay.
Why was there so much confusion about Sage 500 ERP?
At Sage Summit 2012, Sage unintentionally hinted that Sage 500 ERP would reach end of life soon. The date for this “end of life” changed constantly: according to Internet rumors, the product could be retired anywhere from 2015 to 2017…or beyond. However, these were just rumors. All Sage had said was that they would re-evaluate the product by 2017—it was everyone else who interpreted this as an end-of-life statement.
Wait, wait. What exactly does “End of Life” mean?
When a software product reaches “end of life,” that means that updates and patches will no longer be released for that product. The software does not stop working at that time–in fact, it usually works just the same as it always has. However, end of life means that the software developers have decided to ignore the product in the future. It won’t be updated to respond to new security threats, and it won’t be optimized to run its best. Also, if your company runs into problems, the developer won’t help you (but your friendly reseller would still help you).
The term “end of life” could better be called “end of security,” because without constant patches and updates, an end of life system is like an unlocked safe—leaving your critical business data available to any wandering Internet thief who wanted to take something out.
Remember: End of Life was a RUMOR
If you’re starting to hyperventilate from all this information about missing security and thieves stealing your data… you can relax.
As of this year’s Summit, Sage announced their renewed commitment and continued investment in Sage 500 ERP for years and years.
What can you expect as a Sage 500 customer?
- Annual releases and service packs for the next 3 years (to start)
- Sage 500 ERP support through at least 2020
- Continued integration with the add-ons you love (such as Avalara / Sage Sales Tax)
- Enhanced functionality with the new Sage features you want, such as the Sage Data Cloud
What can you expect as an SWK Tech customer?
As always, we at SWK want to provide the highest level of service for our customers. If all this has made you nervous and you wish to switch to a different ERP, please contact us. We can help you with that change. As ERP experts, we can also advise you regarding other products that would work for your company—and you won’t have to do the research alone.
Sometimes, the ERP products that we sell won’t work for your company. If that’s the case, we promise to save you time by connecting you with the people who do have the product you need. After all, why should you become an ERP expert when you have your own busy company that you need to focus on?
Want to learn more about what’s in store for Sage 500 ERP?
You now know that Sage 500 ERP support, new releases, and updates have all been extended into the foreseeable future. If you have other questions or you want to talk about your ERP options, please contact us by clicking the button below.[nectar_btn size=”jumbo” open_new_tab=”true” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Accent-Color” icon_family=”none” url=”https://www.swktech.com/contact/” text=”Contact Us” margin_left=”25″][fc id=’19’][/fc]