Sage Malaysia

Sage Obsolescence Policy

The objective of the Sage Obsolescence Policy is to provide a clear overview on the support and non-support of obsolete products. The support of products is generally on the current commercial release and in most cases two prior releases of a product. Product support is only available for those who have an active Sage Cover plan. The Sage Cover plan is provided as part of your new purchase and is valid for the first year. It can be renewed and subscribed annually thereafter to protect your investment to ensure timely and important product updates.

If my product is obsolete, does it mean I cannot use it anymore?

You can definitely continue to use the product to the best of your requirements. As per the original licensing agreement, you have bought the right to use the product as long as you would want to. It is only from the standpoint that the product is not up to date in terms of statutory requirements, and enhancements from both a business practice and technology perspective.

Why should software products go obsolete? Shouldn’t a software product be for life?

Software products follow the natural transition and changes in common business practice, technology and statutory requirements. As these factors change around us in our business environment, this will most definitely lead to enhancements to ensure that the software solution that you are using is adhering to the latest legal requirements as well as common business practices and the technology landscape.

A good example of common statutory requirements is payroll. As the income tax law gets modified to fit a country’s fiscal policies, very often, the income tax laws are enhanced annually. Therefore using the latest payroll version will mean that you adhere to the latest legal requirements and are not in violation of any laws. These are also commonly applicable for countries where GST, VAT or similar taxes are enforced. As an example, from a business practice perspective, in today’s business environment, invoices are not only printed and mailed, they are also emailed directly from the operators computer. Enhancement such as these provides you an upper hand in keeping up with the times and most of the time, enjoying the benefits of increased efficiency gains.

Lastly, we are in the technology age and over time we are exposed to new technologies such as faster databases, more interactive user interfaces and possibly more integration to other businesses or business components such as electronic payments or connected services. Moving ahead, some of these requirements do require new platforms or a revamp in the product, therefore innovation, investment and new products or version upgrades come into the picture.

Business software solutions are not casts in stone and should adjust and improve over time to benefit the business and its users. Therefore we have a long-term view for our customers and also facilities such as Sage Cover to protect your investment over-time to enjoy and benefit all these enhancements. This is why Sage continuously invest in research and new development of our products.

Indeed a product should be for life, as long as it continues to keep up with life itself. (with the necessary maintenance and upgrades!)

How do I find out more about Sage Cover?

Please click on this link.

What is the upgrade process? Will I lose my data?

For those who are using previous versions of our products, there is an upgrade process available. Please make sure though that you are a registered user if you have not done so.  Data will not be lost if you follow the migration process. These would be handled separately by our partners or directly by Sage as per your requirements.

Why upgrade?

If you are actively on our Sage Cover program there is no literal need to “upgrade”. The latest versions of our products will be automatically ‘pushed’ to you via our online updates, transparent and with very little interruption to your business.  This keeps your business software solution up-to-date and functioning well. As soon as a new update is available it will be made available for you too.

If you are not active on our Sage Cover program, you can opt to purchase a newer version as and when you require. If you are a registered user, then this is considered an upgrade, and you will be entitled to an upgrade price. However, in general this is a more expensive practice and does not protect you during the lapsed period where changes might have occurred.

Should you have more questions, we will delighted to assist you. Please click on this link.