With the recent sunset announcement of Everest 3.0.1 and the new Everest 5.0 release around the corner, the question is on a rampage. Most customers to whom I've spoken don't like going through a major upgrades period, especially taking chances with major upgrades when they first become available.  

I know, I know...

• You don't have time to mess with upgrades.
• Why upgrade and take a chance of breaking what's working?
• You have lots of customizations and don't want to deal with the costs and pains involved with testing/updating the customizations.

Unfortunately, upgrades are a part of running your business.  You need to recognize the importance of staying current on a fully supported version.  Most people, on versions past their end-of-support lifecycle, do not seem to account for, nor understand, the associated risks. I cannot begin to tell you the angst I feel personally when a customer on an unsupported version has a catastrophe and calls in for help because their software is down.  Often the only solution for them is to upgrade to a supported release in a unplanned manner.  Their system is down so they are flooded with calls and escalations, they can't create or ship orders, and basically the business is on hold.  Among all this mess, they are simply not prepared to upgrade in middle of business hours.   Many have large databases that would take many hours of effort to upgrade, and even worse - they have customizations they rely on!  I can't emphasize enough the how critical it is to keep up with and stay on supported versions of the software. Upgrades can be planned for, catastrophes can't.

Therefore, minimize your risks by planning ahead for at least one major upgrade a year to stay current; schedule them during your slow season. Contact support and sign up for our Managed Upgrade services, especially if you don't have an IT resource in-house. We try to make the upgrade experience convenient and as painless as possible for you, so you can focus on running your business.  

If you are still on Everest 3.0.1, I am sure you are contemplating going directly to 5.0.  Its going to be a hot product with tons of new features and a new ecommerce engine built on .net.  However, my recommendation is: unless there is something you must absolutely have in 5.0, don't wait any longer and schedule your upgrade to 4.0.2, our most stable supported version, as soon as possible!  

With all complex applications, a new major release has a higher potential risk for the existing functionality.  It's a common practice for most businesses to schedule major upgrades a few months after their initial availability. This minimizes their risks as they have more prep time and access to any service packs that become available.   

If you are already on 4.0.2, great job staying up to date!  Now wait for the 5.0 release and when it does release, call in and schedule your 5.0 upgrade during your slower season and at least a few months after the release. 

Staying ahead of the wave is always a winner!  Don't get caught behind as the risks and pains are simply not worth it.