Bravo Mark.
'Buggy core' is a kindness (in my opinion) - and much of the optional module functionality is core functionality in competing products.
The whole Epicor 'upsell' biz model is disturbing. They hook you cheap only to later find you need more.
Rob
--- Original Message ---
From:"Mark Wonsil" <mark_wonsil@...>
Sent:Sun 5/30/10 1:16 pm
To:vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subj:[Vantage] Disturbing trend (was AgileShip)
Bill asked:
the capabilities of existing products:
- Wed-based Products (Connect, Portal, and Commerce)
- BI (CorVu and Epicor Cube Connect/Performance Canvas)
- Manifest (InSite and Agile)
Or created new modules by adding features to existing non-core modules
- Quality Assurance, Enhance Quality Assurance, Advanced Quality Assurance
- Advance Print Management, Advanced Print Management Plus
- Document Management, SharePoint attachments
- Inventory, Customer Managed Inventory, Supplier Managed Inventory
Outside the usual concern about the value proposition of paying
maintenance for new products and then having to have to pay the same
amount as new buyers to get new functionality, this over-modulizaton
of the product leads to confusion and indecision in the installed
base.
More importantly, with each new module, the complexity of the software
goes up exponentially. A lot of logic has to go into altering the
software's behavior to handle every case of each module being
installed or not-installed and this leads to a less stable product.
Nearly everyone who first moved to Epicor 9 who did not have
multi-currency ran into issues. We had Tax Connect errors even though
we didn't have Tax Connect. I noticed others have had issues with
non-enabled modules on this list too.
With a really bad 18 months stint of poor regression testing and buggy
updates, Epicor may want to consider simplifying the product line in
the name of stability. As a bonus, they may hold on to more
maintenance dollars.
FWIW,
Mark W.
'Buggy core' is a kindness (in my opinion) - and much of the optional module functionality is core functionality in competing products.
The whole Epicor 'upsell' biz model is disturbing. They hook you cheap only to later find you need more.
Rob
--- Original Message ---
From:"Mark Wonsil" <mark_wonsil@...>
Sent:Sun 5/30/10 1:16 pm
To:vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subj:[Vantage] Disturbing trend (was AgileShip)
Bill asked:
> I got an email from Epicor about the new AgileShip Manifest package. Does this meanOver the last few years, Epicor has released new products that overlap
> they no longer use insite ? Since we are currently InSite user, are we better off switching?
> Anyone has any idea what was behind this?
the capabilities of existing products:
- Wed-based Products (Connect, Portal, and Commerce)
- BI (CorVu and Epicor Cube Connect/Performance Canvas)
- Manifest (InSite and Agile)
Or created new modules by adding features to existing non-core modules
- Quality Assurance, Enhance Quality Assurance, Advanced Quality Assurance
- Advance Print Management, Advanced Print Management Plus
- Document Management, SharePoint attachments
- Inventory, Customer Managed Inventory, Supplier Managed Inventory
Outside the usual concern about the value proposition of paying
maintenance for new products and then having to have to pay the same
amount as new buyers to get new functionality, this over-modulizaton
of the product leads to confusion and indecision in the installed
base.
More importantly, with each new module, the complexity of the software
goes up exponentially. A lot of logic has to go into altering the
software's behavior to handle every case of each module being
installed or not-installed and this leads to a less stable product.
Nearly everyone who first moved to Epicor 9 who did not have
multi-currency ran into issues. We had Tax Connect errors even though
we didn't have Tax Connect. I noticed others have had issues with
non-enabled modules on this list too.
With a really bad 18 months stint of poor regression testing and buggy
updates, Epicor may want to consider simplifying the product line in
the name of stability. As a bonus, they may hold on to more
maintenance dollars.
FWIW,
Mark W.