Act! v18 Sunset – Never Worry About Obsolescence Again

As some of you already know, Act! v18 will be sunset, or no longer eligible for support from Act!, after November 30, 2018. If you are not a current Act! Subscriber and you are on Act! v18 or an older version, we encourage you to contact us to discuss upgrading to the latest version of Act!.

What is Obsolescence?

A product in obsolescence signals the official end of the useful life of that product for the manufacturer. A product in sunset means the software vendor no longer provides updates and support for that product.
We hear from many of our clients who are frustrated that Act! has planned obsolescence of their products.

We understand your frustration, and it’s important to note that Act! is not the only software vendor who does this. Software obsolescence is common in the software industry because it allows the software vendor the ability to maximize their focus on product quality and the development of new features. Swiftpage, the makers of Act!, can only support a limited number of versions of Act!. Maintaining compatibility with Microsoft products and other third-party product versions requires a great deal of resources, which would then make Act! products costlier. For more information on Act!'s obsolescence policy click here.

What does the Sunset of Act! v18 mean for you?

1. You will no longer be supported by Act!

   • AspenTech CRM will continue to support you on whatever version of Act! you’re using, however, if there’s an issue that we’re unable to resolve, we can’t turn to Act! for additional assistance or to repair a damaged database. Essentially, our hands are tied at that point.

2. You can no longer purchase additional Act! v18 licenses

   • If you add a new user, you will not be able to purchase additional v18 licenses for that user. Remember, everyone accessing the same Act! database must be on the same Act! version.

3. Compatibility Issues

   • You probably won’t experience major compatibility issues the very next day after obsolescence, but technology is moving at a rate we’ve never seen before. It won’t be long before you may start to experience issues with programs that are a vital part of your user’s day, such as: Windows, Office, Internet Browsers, Smartphones, Tablets, etc.

Benefits of Upgrading from Act! v18

The long and short of it is, it pays to be on a valid Act! subscription so that you don’t have to worry about these issues. Act! subscribers are eligible to receive many exclusive subscriber benefits, such as:

• Feature Enhancements and Platform Updates: Never worry about compatibility issues again! With an Act! subscription, you’ll always be eligible to receive the latest version, new features and functionality, fixes and compatibility updates.
• Act! Technical Support: Consult with Act! Technical Support Advisors ready to help with any basic technical issues you may have with your Act!. Act! support is now available at three levels, Standard, Premier, and Ultimate.
• Act! Connect: Connect your Act! with hundreds of the most popular apps. This powerful tool allows your Act! to easily integrate with other programs that can bring information directly into Act! for you.
• Act! Companion Mobile App: This is a native mobile app designed for iPhone and Android that allows you to stay connected to your Act! Premium details when on the go! Find out more about Act! Companion.
• Act! Insights: With Act! Insights, get unprecedented live data from your Act! CRM system. Select from Act! Insights more than 50 pre-configured standard reports or create your own custom reports with the report designer. Act! Insights provides you with interactive, graphical dashboards showing visuals of real-time metrics such as: sales productivity, performance, pipeline health, top performing products, win/loss analysis and much more!
• Custom Tables Manager: Available exclusively to those on the new Act! Premium Plus, Act! Custom Tables Manager allows you to combine the full power of Act! CRM with the ability to bring together custom data sets, specialized industry practices and unique business practices all within your Act!. Learn more here.

To discuss the impact of the Act! v18 sunset and review your options moving forward please contact us at (866) 880-4228 or click here.