Thanks to everyone who has shared specific concerns and practical questions. We’re reading the entire thread, consolidating themes, and working with our Cloud, Support, Security/Compliance, and Product teams to provide clear answers without creating confusion through dozens of piecemeal replies.
Below is a consolidated list of the questions that Tim and I have seen come up repeatedly, grouped by when we can responsibly answer them.
Consolidated Questions & Response Timing
| Question / Theme we’re hearing | What we can say now | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| What exactly does “final on-prem release 2028.1” mean? What ends and what continues? | 2028.1 is the final on-prem release that includes new feature development | Active Support continues for 2028.1 through Dec 31, 2029 (fixes, security updates, technical assistance). Beginning 2030, Sustaining Support applies for customers who remain on-prem |
| “Affiliated partner clouds / affiliated hosting”: what does this actually mean? | You are right to call out that this needs a clearer definition. | “Affiliated” refers to Epicor approved hosting pathways, which may vary by region and offering. We are validating the full scope internally, so we do not publish an incomplete or misleading list |
| Cost / TCO: “Cloud is materially more expensive for us” | Customers need predictable multi-year cost justification | Pricing varies by environment, modules, services, and terms, so it can’t be quoted accurately in a public thread |
| Direct DB / SQL access: many of us depend on it | We hear this clearly: many customers rely on SQL access today | In SaaS, direct production DB access is fundamentally different. We do offer a reporting SQL database that is synced with the cloud for special needs. |
| Classic client / UI path | As announced over a year ago, the smart (classic) client has already been removed starting with Kinetic 2026.1 | This is not a new change tied to the 2028 announcement |
| “Are you listening?” | Yes. This thread is being reviewed hourly and themes are being consolidated across teams | We’re intentionally avoiding reactive replies that add heat without clarity |
Target: Next week
| Question / Theme | What we’re working on |
|---|---|
| Customization & extensibility parity | A “what changes in cloud” matrix covering customization types, integrations, file movement, and guardrails |
| Upgrade cadence & hotfix behavior | How hotfix vs patch vs release works, notification expectations, and escalation paths for business-critical issues |
| Data ownership & exit planning | Data export options, formats, cadence, automation, and available assistance |
Target: Next month
| Question / Theme | What we’ll publish |
|---|---|
| Affiliated hosting program details | Program mechanics: qualification, governance, support boundaries, and commercial model |
| Migration tooling & sequencing | Practical migration playbook (phased approach, decision points, common pitfalls) |
| Roadmap clarity | Roadmap format separating committed, targeted, and exploratory items |
| Strategic rationale (“why this decision?”) | Transparent explanation focused on customer impact and acknowledged trade‑offs |
| Cloud reliability expectations | Current and planned commitments around uptime, monitoring, incident communication, and admin visibility |
| Regulated environments (ITAR/EAR, DFARS, CMMC/NIST, audit evidence, incident timelines) | Clear breakdown of contractual commitments, audit artifacts, responsibility split (Epicor vs customer), and which deployment options align to which requirements |
| Will Epicor offer a ‘customer-controlled cloud’ / hybrid deployment option? e.g., Kinetic packaged and supported as Linux containers that can run in a customer’s datacenter or private cloud—so customers can remain on-prem (or in a cloud they control) while still getting a modern, cloud-like operating model? | We’re actively evaluating hybrid and customer-controlled deployment options, including container-based subscription approaches, and we’ll share a more complete update on that direction next month. |
We’ll continue collecting questions from this thread. If you have a specific scenario (regulatory constraints, integration approach, cost drivers), your CAM can engage directly while we publish the broader answers here.
Thank you for keeping the discussion focused on concrete impacts and planning needs.
Jen Triftshauser @JenTrifty
Tim Shoemaker @timshuwy