I am with you.
It has been 20 years for me.
I think this thing we are feeling is grief. There’s comfort in knowing the ins and outs of something; of being fully aware of all of the great, shiny, exciting pieces and knowing how to dance around the warts. We’ve built our functional and reliable palaces and we can walk through them with the lights out and not stub our toes. It’s home and it has been for a long time now.
Sage 500: End of Life Realizations
stage Ⅰ: Denial
Over the past year and a half I’ve talked with many of RKL’s clients about the status of Sage 500 ERP. It’s no secret that over a decade ago Sage announced an end of life for the product. It’s no surprise to any of us that we are getting closer to that end of the road. The warning whistles keep stacking – more experts in supporting the application are retiring or moving on to other products, integrated modules and add-ons are ending support, Microsoft is ending support for their last product in VB6 architecture. But this is all somewhat easy to ignore when you’re comfortable (Stage I: Denial).
stage Ⅱ: anger
I’ve listened to some of you who are very angry about the end of life of O2 Process Manufacturing and decline in Sage 500 ERP. You feel upset because there has been a lot of investment of time and money in learning and implementing your systems. Over the years, you have learned to like and appreciate your ERP/MES and, dang it, you do NOT WANT TO LOSE IT NOW. (Stage II: Anger).
stage Ⅲ: bargaining
Maybe we can implement some new AI technologies, or maybe we could build web interfaces to use modern tech and write back to the Sage 500 ERP database, or perhaps Sage will even sell our company the SDK so that we can make our own modifications and support ourselves on this forever! (Stage III: Bargaining). I share your trepidation. Leaving what you know so well can feel overwhelming. The bargaining is only creating an even more precarious fall for your organization down the road when Sage fully ends support or Microsoft pulls support for the VB6 architecture itself. Temper the urge to remodel the kitchen with beautiful tile and a La Cornue stove and hood. Your entire foundation is crumbling. We must move along.
stage Ⅳ: Depression
Where do we go? Will I ever gain this level of proficiency with another application? It’s all so complicated. I’m overwhelmed. Je ne comprends pas. I’m too old. The last implementation was painful/bumpy. We are too busy to invest the time to implement a new ERP. This is miserable. (Stage IV: Depression). I hear you. But at the end of an adventure, it’s interesting to think back to the beginning. I started working with Sage500 during an implementation to support generating financial statements for roughly 800 franchise pharmacies. Yes, I was on the client side of the desk. I remember feeling incredibly overwhelmed by how complicated and different Sage 500 (Best, MAS 500) was from MAS90. The screens were more complicated. You couldn’t easily “undo” mistakes. It was all so confusing. So I hope you’ll join me for…
stage Ⅴ: acceptance
(Stage V: Acceptance) I’m moving on with X3 and looking forward to what’s next. The frame of reference and skills that we have built over the years on Sage 500 ERP will serve us well as we face the challenges and successes of this new application. We’ll build things, learn things, stumble, and come out on the other side in our new “homes”. We’ve got this, and I’m really looking forward to being your partner for another 20 years. See you there!
We Can Help!
Sage and RKL have simplified this process for existing Sage 500 ERP clients. In addition to incentives from Sage that can be applied to the services effort, RKL will help you transition to the best solution in the Sage portfolio, leveraging our experience, migration tools, and best practices that minimize risk and reduce project scope and cost without sacrificing project success.
Check out our migration pages to learn how RKL can support you: Sage 500 to Sage X3 and Sage 500 to Sage Intacct
Read our three-part blog series about what's next for you after Sage 500:
Part 1: Life After Sage 500—What's Next?
