Software systems are envisioned, developed, released, maintained and then retired; making way for new versions that support new features and enhanced security. As your trusted business partner, Hawkins Ash is only able to maintain support and operation of software versions that the vendor will stand behind and also offer support for. While we can work with reports and systems from some older versions, it does increase the time and cost necessary to provide our clients with the best service. We encourage our clients to maintain currently supported software, as this makes the best business sense overall.
Current software upgrades not only support new features but also better security. Older versions of software may work with a newer system, but it is usually in a limited capacity. I personally have an old program that was written in 1992 that helps pick names for our Christmas gift exchange, but it is a simple, single function program. With complex systems required for your accounting needs that provide protection of your sensitive data, it is critical that every security flaw or hole discovered is properly patched and protected. You can achieve this by keeping your software updated.
On Jan. 14, 2020, Microsoft ended support and security updates for Windows 7, their primary operating system since 2009. Windows 10 is the direction Microsoft is taking its flagship product, and everyone who works on that ship moves forward with it. Intuit, Sage, and all the other software developers out there have to make a choice: spend money supporting and developing for a system that has no future or focus on new advancements and resources that customers are asking for. Intuit has had a long standing practice of supporting the current and past two versions of QuickBooks. Sage only supports the current and past one version of Sage 50 (Peachtree).
Please see the links below for the FAQ of software lifecycles from Sage and QuickBooks.
https://support.na.sage.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=37311
If you have any questions about software updates, contact your Hawkins Ash representative.
