Sage News and Discussion

This looks like a somewhat barren roadmap for MAS500. I understand that at some point you run the risk of adding features just for the sake of saying you have a new feature. But really - no updates planned for 2013? Here's the full map - http://www.sagesoftware.com/bestsection3/Sage%20ERP%20MAS%20500%20Roadmap%20Oct%202011.pdf

I brought this topic up with Linda Cade PM for MAS500 without much feedback other than 2013 is going to be product updates... .that's imho Sage's new name for bug fixes.

Lean is the word that comes to mind. And what are TCO Improvements in 2014? Whatever that is it sounds like something that would be welcome in an earlier time frame, like 2011. Summit had a huge turnout for MAS 500 users. I hope their input leads to more substance in the roadmap.

Hope springs eternal.

Virtually everything they are talking about are adopted 'free' bolt on's from other products or things that generate recurring revenue such as 'connected services' If MAS500 var's didn't yet get the message, this is pretty clear that MAS500 is the new MAS200 SQL 3.71. It will go into this no development purgatory for 5 years and then get a free upgrade to X3...

A buyer for MAS 500 and using the sale proceeds to invest in X3 for the NA market would be smarter. It won't be easy to lure the MAS 500 customers to X3. I've haven't had may BW clients move to MAS 90 and MAS 500 to X3 is a much bigger jump. Might not be a good time to sell MAS 500 assets, depending on their book value. Another loss from a product line sale so near the recent one wouldn't look very good. Sage is playing it safe by keeping MAS 500 in maintenance mode.

I think MAS500 has <5000 paying maintenance customers and would require a substantial rewrite to be technically competitive in this new SOA and 'online' world. Who would buy this neglected turd? I wonder how this SBT to X3 free promotion is working.

Erika disclosed the user base to us during Summit. It wasn't as small as I thought. @JimWoodhead or @RobertWood were there with me --- do you guys remember? And I'm not sure if her number was maintenance paying. I want to say it was about 12-15k users but I could be way off.

could swear I thought I heard a number like 2000 paying maintenance that stunned me.

MIS Group was a large partner for both MAS 90 and MAS 500. I have a source that says their ratio of 90/200 to 500 on plan customers was about 8:1. Sage seems to float 25k as the number of on maintenance customers for 90/200, which, if accurate and assuming that ratio, would put the number of MAS 500 on plan customers around 3,000. I've also heard from Sage that the revenue to Sage is pretty even between 90/200 and 500, with 500 actually producing a bit more. On average our 500 clients pay about 5x what our average 90/200 clients pay for maintenance. And Sage keeps a far higher percentage of the MAS 500 maintenance. Yes, Myron, a lot is being funded on the backs of the MAS 500 customers.

I don't remember exactly. I'll go back and check my notes. That sounds close to what I remember. They were definitely much higher than I had thought.