On our introductory page on The Future of BusinessVision, we gave an overview of:
Still reading? OK, then let's get right to the questions you likely have, and the answers to go with them.
Following are some of the typical questions clients have been asking in light of recent comments, rumours and speculation about the future of Sage BusinessVision.
A:
No, this is NOT true. Some less-scrupulous resellers looking to displace BusinessVision have been
telling prospects this, but Sage insists they do not have any specific plan to discontinue BusinessVision.
Update: As of September 2015, Sage have decided and announced that they "will no longer use the term End of Life" with respect to
BusinessVision, and that they are "committed to BusinessVision". However, they admit that any future updates will be small
in scope. They haven't hired anyone to replace all the developers they've let go. They won't commit to any time frame to fix
the hard limit of not allowing logins past Dec 31, 2020. They're not reducing their annunal fees (which continue to skyrocket).
So, their new position is really the same as their old position.
Update #2: As of October 2015, Sage have communicated the following to Partners:
"Migration is a KEY strategic initiative for Sage, and we are continuing to recognize Partners for their efforts in encouraging their
customers to migrate to our strategic Sage Solutions. Qualifying migration products include BusinessVision and Businessworks...".
In other words, they keep saying they're committed to BV, but their whole emphasis is actually to move clients OFF BV.
A:
Not really. They are still producing one or two minor updates per year, plus Payroll Updates.
However, there really is no significant development being done, and there likely never will be
in the future.
Sage have also reconfirmed (as of September, 2015) that they currently have no firm plan to fix
the known issue that BusinessVision will not accept a login date past December 31, 2020.
A:
Yes, this is pretty much true. To keep getting payroll updates, you need to be on a current
Sage Business Care plan. If you don't require payroll, or are willing to get payroll outside of
BusinessVision, there's really little reason to continue paying for Sage Business Care.
Since fall 2014, Sage now also include a license for Sage 300 Online with your Sage Business Care, for "free".
However, that has little to no value to most, since it's not actually a decent replacement for BusinessVision in the longer term.
A: You have several excellent options: get a payroll service; buy a third-party payroll application that can send data to BusinessVision; buy BVEssentials (and later, Spire - see below) and move payroll to that. Any of these options will likely cost less than you pay Sage for Sage Business Care and Payroll Updates now.
A:
Sure, if it continues to meet all your needs, there's no reason to change in the immediate future.
BusinessVision works on Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and with the current versions of Office.
This means in all likelihood you could keep using it for at least 5 years,
at least as far as compatibility goes (though the December 31, 2020 login limit is a large concern as noted above.
Sage have indicated they feel no absolute obligation to fix this).
Really, the only thing you will lose by staying with BusinessVision but
stopping your payments to Sage is access to payroll updates, and there are ways around that (see previous item).
A: No, not at all. Sage wants you to buy one of their solutions, of course, and will tell you they're the only credible game in town. However, for most BusinessVision users, we don't think Sage really does have what you need. We have better options that will work far better for BusinessVision users.
A: We think there's a simple, three-step plan to move forward:
A: BVEssentials (now just called Essentials) is a long-standing BusinessVision add-on. It started as a tool to add flexibility in Order Entry, but has grown far beyond that. It now allows most (but not all) functions to be completed outside of BusinessVision, but in a far more flexible manner - all the while using mostly your existing BusinessVision data files.
Spire is the next generation of BVEssentials. Released in early 2015, Spire will be a complete BusinessVision replacement.
A few of the benefits of Spire:
A: This is another attempt by certain resellers to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). They're trying to scare people into spending their money with Sage, regardless of whether they actually have a suitable replacement for BusinessVision or not (and we don't believe they do).
In fact Sage have made a point of trying very hard to convince resellers like us to avoid BVEssentials / Spire. That tells us they're actually worried Spire will take over the part of the market they want for themselves (but they won't maintain the right product to keep it).
So is Spire credible? Yes, absolutely, they are. The reality is that the folks behind Spire have been developing the basis of this exact software for well over 10 years. Their software is based on a more modern platform than anything Sage is doing. They actually listen to users, and they develop good software based on what customers tell them they need. They are NOT an upstart, and they are highly credible.
A: Maybe, but probably not. It can be a great idea if you need the functionality, but remember that the main cost of moving to Sage 300 or Sage 300 Online will be implementation, learning curve, and monthly fees (forever) to retain access.
As well, keep in mind that Sage 300 (what used to be called Sage ACCPAC) is built on a very old platform - much of it is still developed in Visual Basic 6, which Microsoft discontinued years ago. We don't think that's setting you up for the future.
Conclusion? Even if the licenses for Sage 300 were going to be free, it'll still be a lot more expensive than BVEssentials / Spire, and you will give up a lot.
A:
Sage now include a Sage 300 Online subscription in the annual fees paid by BusinessVision users at 'no extra cost'.
The idea of running apps in "the cloud" appeals to a lot of people, but there are a number of key things
you need to think about before you go down that road (especially with Sage 300 Online).
For example:
A:
A great question, and an important one. The answer is that we should sit down and discuss what you're doing
now, as well as what things you would like to see improved and what new capabilities you'll need over the
next few years. Based on that, we will put together a recommended plan of action, a budget, and a timetable.
Our recommendation will be whatever we believe is in your best interest. If the progression from
BusinessVision ⇒ BVEssentials ⇒ Spire route isn't the best choice, we'll tell you that.
We'll only recommend it if we are confident it's your best choice.
We will never follow Sage's recent aggressive "SELL! SELL! SELL!" approach.
We will offer what we genuinely think are the best options for your business.
It's what we've always done, and it's what we'll always do.
A: Please contact us if there are other questions you think we need to answer here. We want to make sure clients have as much information as they need to make the right decisions for their businesses.
Read more about these issues:
Please call us today if you want to discuss how you can move forward to the future in a smart, cost-effective way. You don't need pressure from Sage, you need advice that makes sense for your business, which is our commitment.
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