Nobody would argue the need to service your car on a regular basis, but deciding to upgrade your accounting (ERP) system may not be as simple.
In the past, it was quite common to stay for a while on the same version. This was due to the cost of upgrading, the unfortunate disruption it might cause, and the desire for users to stick with what they know.
However, the landscape has changed quite a bit since those days and companies are upgrading more frequently to benefit from the latest features of Sage 300, reduce risk by staying on a Sage-supported version (current version plus 2 back) and maintain compatibility with other integrated elements of their system. This would include compatibility to Windows, Outlook & Excel, Office 365 or other integrated products such as CRM and HR.
In addition, more frequent upgrades now translate to quicker, smoother upgrades that are easier for users to accept and have less chance for complication as upgrading forward multiple versions often adds to the complexity and includes far more changes and adjustments.
As for cost, the software industry has evolved and the majority of our clients are either on a fixed cost monthly subscription plan or a maintenance plan where they pay a percentage of the software cost to ensure that they always have access to the latest version and will not have to pay the full cost of buying the software again.
What this means essentially is that the cost to upgrade now is essentially the cost for professional services along with the discomfort of adjusting to the change versus the additional benefit of new features and reduced risk of being on a supported version.
So I guess it is somewhat akin to servicing your car…you can do some maintenance now to keep it running smooth or take the risk that it won’t let you down at the wrong time and cost you more.
The documents below highlight the progression of feature changes.
Visit our YouTube Channel playlist called What’s New in Sage 300’s Latest Versions to discover the latest features that could benefit your organization.
Click here to download the New Features from Sage 300 2016- 2019