The End of BusinessVision - FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

• Q: When will Sage retire BusinessVision?
  A: No one knows. Sage says they will give two years notice of the retirement of BusinessVision. However, at the moment they say that BusinessVision will continue to be supported and updated.
   
• Q: Is BusinessVision still being enhanced and improved?
  A: No, absolutely not. There were no actual enhancements or new features in the latest "version" (v2018), only bug fixes. Sage says they will continue to support the product for the near future.
   
• Q: If Sage is not planning to retire BusinessVision in the near future then why are they trying to push BusinessVision users to Sage 300 Online?
  A: Good question. Sage is betting their future on the Cloud, and is investing heavily in Cloud technologies, and also in the requisite marketing in an attempt to push users to that product. Please read about the many drawbacks to Cloud accounting software.
   
• Q: Can I keep using BusinessVision for the foreseeable future, even after Sage no longer supports it?
  A: Yes of course - but there are limits. Like all software, BusinessVision relies on compatibility with Windows operating systems, and these typically last 6-8 years. The latest release of BusinessVision (v2018) is Windows 10 compatible, which is only a couple years old. So aside from payroll, you'd probably be okay to stay with BusinessVision for a few years. Payroll could either be outsourced or you could use one of the payroll software packages that are available. Tech support for BusinessVision will always be available from Wildwood Canada.
  BUT ... yes there is a "but"! ... BusinessVision uses Pervasive v10 and Crystal Reports v10, both of which are no longer supported. And there is no possibility that BusinessVision will ever use newer versions of either of these, due to (a) technical reasons and (b) licensing. Therefore, sooner or later BusinessVision will cease to work on a new Windows version, or even when a Windows update is released.
  **There are already issues with compatibility of BusinessVision with Windows and MS Office versions. Certain things are sometimes breaking or are not installing or working properly.
  Additionally, you will not be able to log into BusinessVision past the year 2020 - this is a hard limit built into versions up until about two years ago.
   
• Q: Can I still keep using BusinessVision even after Sage retires it or no longer supports it?
  A: Yes of course. Because you purchased BusinessVision, you don't need the software vendor's ok to keep using the software. BusinessVision will keep working indefinitely, subject of course to technology limitations as outlined above. Unless of course you went with their "a la carte" software rental scheme! Tech support for BusinessVision will always be available from Wildwood Canada.
   
• Q: Is there a good replacement product for BusinessVision?
  A: Yes there is. It is called Spire. It is the ONLY product that emulates the processes of BusinessVision, and it is the ONLY product that includes free one-click 100% data conversion. Please read more about Spire here. And please also read the Spire FAQ.
   
• Q: Is Quickbooks a good replacement for BusinessVision?
  A: NO. Although Quickbooks incorporates more modern software technology than BusinessVision, it is nevertheless a step down from BusinessVision in terms of overall functionality. It also performs very poorly in multiuser situations, and is therefore best suited to single user scenarios. Please read more about why Quickbooks isn't a good fit.
   
• Q: Is Simply Accounting (Sage 50) a good replacement for BusinessVision?
  A: NO. It was called Simply Accounting for good reason. A lot of the functionality of BusinessVision is missing - you'd be giving up quite a bit. For more information please CLICK HERE.
   
• Q: Is Sage 300 Online a good replacement for BusinessVision?
  A: NO. Aside from all of the very serious drawbacks and concerns with any online cloud accounting product, Sage 300 Online is actually Accpac with an internet browser face stuck onto it. Sage 300 Online is a completely different product from BusinessVision. It is an inappropriate choice for 99% of BusinessVision users. Please read more about Sage 300 Online. Sage has even gone so far as to refer to Sage 300 Online as "the next generation of BusinessVision", and "the future of BusinessVision". Both statements are only an expression of Sage's marketing plans, no more, and do not at all reflect any relationship between the products whatsoever.
  Please also read about cloud accounting systems here.