Sage PFW ERP Retirement Date is March 2014 - 4 Things to Know

As ERP consultants who support many Sage PFW ERP customers, we want to make sure everyone knows that Sage has announced the official retirement of Sage PFW ERP (formerly Platinum for Windows) on March 31, 2014. In our ERP software industry, we see that software is discontinued and for a variety of reasons. A few reasons a publisher like Sage may choose to discontinue ERP software like Sage PFW ERP is the lack of support by third party providers, technology that is out of date and a lack of functionality that is now found in today’s modern ERP software. In this case, Sage has clarified that it is the level of functionality provided by Sage PFW that has led to the decision to retire the solution. Since Sage PFW ERP was written with Microsoft Visual Basic programming language it has become increasingly difficult for Sage to support this outdated language. Sage has tried to support this platform for loyal Sage PFW ERP customers and now it is time to consider new options since Microsoft ended support for Visual Basic in 2008. Sage has seen a growing number of customers migrate to more functionality rich and modern solutions that provide a surplus to the benefits of Sage PFW ERP, the company decided that it is the right time to end Sage PFW ERP’s successful run.

Why Upgrade Now?

ERP solutions like Sage 100 ERP, Sage 300 ERP, and Sage ERP X3 are clearly the choice of the future for customers looking to invest in long term enterprise systems. These solutions have deep functionality built-in to their core modules and the ability to interface with both Sage Connected Services (Sage’s add on cloud deployed modules) and Sage Common Solutions. In addition, these ERP solutions are supported by a larger eco-system of vendors, ensuring less disruption and better service for users. Sage PFW ERP customers who are in the leading Sage PFW ERP industries like service, wholesale distribution and manufacturing will see that these products like Sage 100 ERP, Sage 300 ERP and Sage ERP X3 will be better able to meet the requirements and business objectives in the long run. Since these alternative solutions are available as an upgrade for Sage PFW ERP customers, Sage’s decision to discontinue Sage PFW ERP will hopefully help to keep Sage PFW ERP customers in the Sage family.

Attention Sage PFW ERP Customers
If you are a current Sage PFW ERP customer, you have most likely already received a call from Sage announcing the retirement of Sage PFW ERP. To address the concern of current users, Sage will be running bi-weekly seminars to introduce customers to other solutions within the Sage ERP family. Sage is extremely motivated to help keep Sage PWF ERP customers in the Sage family and they are offering migration plans and devoting a great deal resources to help customers ease through the transition. Updates for the Sage PFW ERP solution will still happen regularly throughout 2013 (this schedule is outlined below)but will all end by March 2014.
Here is the Current Sage PFW ERP Discontinuation Road Map:

PFW customers will be able to participate in the Sage Investment Protection Plan (SIPP), which allows customers to receive a per-user trade-in credit for their old Sage PFW ERP licenses that can be applied to new modern solutions. These credits are time-sensitive and are currently available not only for Sage PFW users but also for users of Sage PRO ERP, Sage BusinessVision, and Sage BusinessWorks.

Here at The Answer Company, as experienced ERP consultants with over 20 years serving customers,  we have found that our customers have come to benefit greatly from migration to solutions that are more capable and a better fit for their needs.  If you have any question regarding migration options or Sage PFW ERP retirement questions, do not hesitate to contact us.  We are committed to helping you find the best solution moving forward.  Please contact us for a free needs assessment.