The Sage “re-branding” initiative is not going away – Peachtree will still become Sage 50 U.S. Edition effective this May – but the transition to a “subscription only” sales model has apparently been shelved for this year.

The reseller webinar scheduled for today (March 19) was abruptly and unexpectedly cancelled late last week, and “unofficial word” from various Sage sources (after all these years supporting Peachtree, we do have a number of resources there!) is that 2013 upgrade licenses will not require a Sage BusinessCare subscription, at least for this year’s product release.

BusinessCare subscriptions will still be heavily marketed by Sage Direct Sales, and pricing for these subscriptions could be attractive for some users looking for this kind of support package (we think our own TriStar support package is a superior product, however). Existing Peachtree users who are interested in migrating to the new edition of the product will now have a choice, however, according to our sources.

So, if you were considering upgrading your product, but were discouraged by the Sage BusinessCare subscription requirement, you can now reconsider an upgrade to the 2013 edition, without any “strings” attached.

Another reseller webinar has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 27, at which time we are expecting to receive “official word” on the upgrade policy for the coming product release, as well as a final feature list and product pricing.

We will post another blog entry at that time, sharing this information as we receive it, and clarifying any remaining confusion (we hope!)