Sage to Retire Sage PFW ERP: Retirement Date Set for March 2014
Sage PFW ERP will be retired at the end of March 2014, Sage has announced, and the end-of-life process to discontinue the solution has already begun.
From time to time in our industry, we see that software is discontinued for a variety of reasons, such as lack of support, aging technology, and integration problems with third party solutions. In the case of Sage PFW, Sage has made it clear that the level of functionality provided by Sage PFW is not enough to make it in the competitive ERP arena.
After seeing a growing number of customers opt for, or migrate to, more functionality rich and modern solutions that provide a surplus to the benefits of PFW, the company decided that it is the right time to end PFW’s successful run.
Why Now?
Enterprise Resource Planning solutions like Sage 100, Sage 300, and especially Sage ERP X3 have become the better choice for customers looking to invest in 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 cloud deployed add-on modules) and Sage Common Solutions. In addition, these solutions are supported by a larger eco-system of vendors, ensuring less disruption and better service for users.
These products are better able to meet the requirements and objectives of industries like services, wholesale distribution, or manufacturing. Industries that traditionally have relied on Sage PFW ERP but would be better served by one of these more modern solutions. It is this advantage that gives Sage the confidence to terminate Sage PFW, while hopefully not abandoning any users of the solution.
Current PFW Customers
If you are a current PFW customer, odds are you have already received a call from Sage announcing the retirement of Sage PFW, or will shortly. To address the concern of current users, Sage will be running bi-weekly seminars that introduce customers to other solutions within the Sage ERP family, offering migration plans, and devoting a lot of resources to help customers ease through the transition. Updates for the solution will still happen regularly throughout 2013, but will all end by March 2014.
Current PFW Customers: Moving Forward
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.
The trade-in value of your licenses varies by source product (your old ERP) and destination products (your new ERP).
Here at The Answer Company, we have found that 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 retirement questions, do not hesitate to contact us.