Adobe announces the End of Life for Business Catalyst

[MagdaN]

Adobe is committed to delivering exceptional software and services to our customers. It’s in our nature to innovate and try new things, and it was in this spirit that we acquired Business Catalyst in 2009. As we re-focus on products that broadly provide our customers with the most value, Adobe is announcing the end of development for Business Catalyst as of March 26th, 2018. New sites will no longer be available for purchase starting with June 18th, 2018. 

Adobe will stop hosting existing sites on Business Catalyst on March 26th 2020. Adobe encourages customers to download their data and migrate to other systems well before March 26th 2020. Detailed how-to information and assistance is available. Customers' data will be retained by Adobe until March 26th 2020, after which date the data will be deleted. Data retention is for the sole purpose of allowing customers to export their data and transfer to another platform.   

We thank our Business Catalyst users and want to help them make a smooth transition to a third-party service. Please see the following for more information on transitioning:  https://secure.worldsecuresystems.com/product-announcement

Please see below a detailed FAQ.

Why is Adobe discontinuing Business Catalyst?

Adobe is committed to delivering exceptional software and services to our customers. It’s in our nature to innovate and try new things, and it was in this spirit that we acquired Business Catalyst in 2009. As we re-focus on products that broadly provide our customers with the most value, we are now announcing the end of life for Business Catalyst. We thank our Business Catalyst users and want to help them make a smooth transition to a third party service.

When will the End of Life take effect?

On March 26th, 2020.

Will this end-of-service affect paid sites as well?

Yes, all sites, including trial and paid sites, partner sites, etc. will be affected by the end of life.

Will data be available for download beyond the service end date?

1. No. Data will be deleted. We encourage users to download their data before the service end date.

I need help downloading my data. Whom can I contact for help?

BC users may find export instructions in the Business Catalyst Help and Support pages. If you still have questions, please contact our Customer Support team.

How long do I have to export my data?

All Business Catalyst servers will be taken down on March 26th, 2020, after which all customer data will be deleted. Please export your data before March 26th, 2020.

How long will you keep my data? What will you do with it?

We will retain your data until March 26th, 2020 or until you delete your site, whichever is sooner, so that you can transition to another product.

Do you recommend another product for me to use?

While there are other hosting solutions available in the market, Adobe does not recommend a specific product. For basic websites and Creative Cloud users, we provide documentation to help with transition to GoDaddy, should the customer choose this replacement. Moreover, since we’ve seen the emergence of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) website creators that leverage customizable templates to quickly create responsive websites, Adobe is making our own investment in the DIY space and welcomes all interested customers to join our upcoming pre-release program for a new format that will be introduced later this year as part of Adobe Spark.

Will new features be developed?

No, new features will no longer be developed on Business Catalyst. We are maintaining a small team to correct critical issues, but no new work is being done. The Business Catalyst team will maintain the PCI and GDPR compliance throughout the lifetime of the product and develop any new features needed in this respect.

Will Adobe still fix the bugs in Business Catalyst?

We will continue to repair critical issues (related to security, payments or customer data for example) when they appear, however, the work will be limited to bugs that have a high security or high stability risk. We will not be fixing minor items with small impact or that have a workaround which can be used.

Will my site be closed down?

At this time, all sites will continue to be live and the public will see no difference in your site. However, starting with March 26th, 2020 all sites will no longer be live and they will not be accessible either to the general public, or to the site administrators. Please find an alternative platform for your site and data before this date.

Can I continue creating trial sites?

You can continue creating trial sites until June 18^th, 2018. They need to be upgraded to a paid plan before June 18^th, 2018. The data from these sites, as well as from any other site in your portfolio, needs to be removed from the platform before March 26th, 2020.

Can I upgrade my trial site to paid?

You can continue upgrading trial sites to paid until June 18^th, 2018, but the data from these sites, as well as from any other site in your portfolio needs to be removed from the platform before March 26th, 2020.

Can I downgrade my site or make any other plan changes?

Yes, you can continue making any changes to your site plan and extras until March 26th, 2020.

Can I still purchase extras?

You can continue purchasing extras until March 26th, 2020. Please note that all extras expire on March 26th, 2020 and can no longer be used after that date.

Can I continue sending newsletters?

The e-mail marketing features will continue to work for the duration of your site. You can continue sending emails until March 26th, 2020 at which point all newsletter credits remaining in your account will expire.

Can I still redeem my commissions?

You can continue to redeem the commissions available in your account until March 26^th 2020.  Following this date this feature will not be available anymore.

What happens to the commissions below $500?

At this time, we are researching technical options to allow redemption of lower commissions. Please stay tuned for further announcements from the Business Catalyst team.

Can I extend the validity of my extras beyond March 26th, 2020?

No, the validity date for your extras can no longer be extended. All extras not used until March 26^th 2020 will be forfeited.

Will I be able to use Adobe Muse or Dreamweaver to update my site?

Yes, until March 26th, 2020, if your desktop app still functions properly.

Will I still have technical support for Adobe Business Catalyst?

Yes, until March 26th, 2020. However, after June 18^th, 2018, our support team will give a higher priority to cases about the off the platform migration questions, in addition to critical security, compliance, and availability issues.

[NaviB2]

The BC partners are hanging out here assessing alternatives to BC. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1460931824128318/

[bcalpha]

The one alternative I have been most impressed with so far: https://www.simbla.com/

[C9-MB]

If you are prepared to make the commitment to learn something different, then Umbraco is well worth considering. It supports both WebForm and MVC (my preferred) use of ASP.Net and has a back-end API that makes BC look childish. However, the flip side is that the learning curve can be a challenge for those without a programming background. Not in the same league as Sitefinity - which I consider a gold standard - but then again it's dirt cheap if using their hosting service, or free if you are self-hosting.

[Adam__Logo_Pogo_]

Hi C9-MB. Could you share the approx price ranges for SiteFinity? They don't list them on the site which makes me thinks it' very expensive.

[C9-MB]

Sitefinity is mega-expensive, and you'd only consider it for a larger business with the resources to commit to a serious solution - I have a project at the moment that is looking like being a candidate for using it.

It's been a while since I last bought a license, but I believe that partners can still purchase the 'Standard' edition for US$8K-ish (?)  and the Professional version pushing double that - but don't hold me to those figures.

However, as I mentioned, while Umbraco is not in that league, it's still pretty damned good, and well worth a look if Sitefinity caught your attention and the thought of back-end programming in C# for more advanced requirements doesn't scare you - i.e. all the stuff that BC stops you having access to.

e.g. https://our.umbraco.org/apidocs/csharp/

[Abambo]

ask them!

[C9-MB]

Note: I'm not trying to be an Umbraco evangelist here (I'm a believer in using the right tool for the job) but I should point out that while it gives you access to a powerful back-end when you need it, it also gives you access to a more friendly CMS than BC ever provided, and back-end programming is certainly NOT forced upon you e.g. Umbraco advanced page layouts using grid - YouTube

[Richard Page]

I've just tried to login to one of my BC sites and all I get is the 'announcement' holding page. Surely we are still allowed to post on the blogs for sites we have paid for?

Apologies if people have already posted about this but I have a client who will need their important blog updated this weekend so I need an answer asap please.

[C9-MB]

No such issue with my sites in the AU DataCentre - you might need to contact tech-support.

[Richard Page]

Thanks, I think I will.

[scottkoons]

I just checked a couple of my sites (US) and all is good.

[Richard Page]

Thanks, I just checked again and got access to my portal.

[Eworks-WSI]

@Cristinel, some time ago we made a comment that BC looked like a sports car with 4 flat tires and even with a silver steering wheel and and a reliable and powerful engine it could not win any races. You replied that you would fix the infrastructure then the product core it self.
It looks like an outright lie today. In fact, it seems that the decision not to update BC cores any more (and shift the burden to the Appstore without contributing to it, is rather cynical) with a shutdown as the ultimate consequence, has been taken a long time ago and in the light of today's decision it feels like the BC team
- has been either constantly lying to the community or
- is grossly incompetent by taking obvious business adverse decisions and not being able to update / correct rather uncomplicated issues and bugs.

People are repeating that Adobe is a big organisation but in view of the above, the company looks rather thin, nothing much behind a colourful smoke-screen. Cannot be trusted any more! And as a logical result we (and our clients too, be assured) will unsubscribe and get rid of all Adobe products.

[Daniel Nicholls]

I've been using BC for over 7 years now so this is also pretty devastating for me. In addition to my existing sites I have developed on BC, I'm just about to go into a meeting about a website I was going to build on BC. I won this business in a pitch in which I persuaded my client that BC was the way to go because of the all-in-one solution and its innate reliability as an Adobe product and blah blah blah. Apart from the embarrassment of telling my client that it will be no more, I'm now in a position where I could lose this business, as I'm not sure if I can develop what they want using any other platforms for the price I quoted.

I will obviously be seeking other all-in-one solutions and was wondering if anyone know of any other platform/s that come anywhere near BC?

I'll also be looking for alternatives to Creative Suite (after having used Adobe products for over 25 years now) as I'm not sure now whether Adobe will pull the rug from under that too.

I'm afraid they've lost my trust.

Dan

[Eireternal1]

I too am in your same boat, I convinced my latest client that this is the way to go and now I have to backtrack and lose the trust he had in me to get the job done. As for my other clients, it's completely up in the air. This completely wrecks every web developers business. Huge Huge mistake Adobe. I thought you were a shining beacon for us. Now I just feel played. I've been with you for the past decade, now it seems I must move on. Whatever you come out with I will take a look, but my trust level in you is now near nil. Sacrificial lambs we are.

[spreadman]

Is it beyond the realms of possibility that a direct replacement for Bc could be developed, together with a migration tool, and be ready in 2 years?

I was never Bc's biggest fan, but, having spent the last 2 days looking at the competition, I don't want it to go!

[Changedesigns]

Either you are just naive, or you just don't care about your customers. Reminds me of United Airlines. What a PR disaster. You are destroying thousands of businesses who trusted business catalyst with their livelihoods. You've destroyed the businesses of thousands of programmers. Millions of hours of programming and development time - gone up in smoke. And your answer? "Sorry for the inconvenience?" Or getting defensive about a few comments on timing.

I dont think you realise the damage you have caused to people's livelihoods - and their businesses, and those of their clients.

Whatever the reason for closing down business catalyst, my prediction is you will lose more from this PR blunder, than from keeping it up and running.

[HD_Create]

Hi all

We have been with BC since 2010 and were shocked and disappointed, though not completely surprised by Monday's announcement and Adobe's callous indifference to us, its loyal customers. Adobe have shown themselves once again to be short sighted, unprofessional and supremely self serving. The partner community on the other hand continues as usual to be supportive, sharing and open. Together the partners can and will find a way forward. Many thanks to those that are already sharing research and information for viable and better alternatives, much appreciated. Adam Broadway's webinar on the development of Platform OS was exciting and we would urge all partners who didn't listen in to contact Platform OS and register an interest at https://www.platform-os.com/business-catalyst-partners

[Peter-AM]

Caveat Emptor Rather co-incidental that they appear on the same door step as bad news for the partners of Adobe BC. Makes you wonder when you think about the timing and history.

[LindaSA]

I realize there probably isn't an across-the-board replacement for BC, but you might want to check out this link for other viable options:

https://alternativeto.net/software/businesscatalyst/

[keihamm]

Hi All, I wanted to post this again for anyone thinking about migrating to wordpress. Here is a stack that I currently use and it allows me to build sites with ease. You can build completely custom sites without coding (to speed up development) But, if you want to add custom js or css then you have that flexibility. It is really powerful. The only caveat is you do not have an equivalent to templates like BC had. Instead, you have to create "global modules" that allows you to edit in one place, and it updates across the entire site. There is an initial investment with the plugins below, but it then allows you to have unlimited installs. I encourage you to take a look. I have tried webflow in the past, and although it is a great idea, there is a lot of features lacking, and in the end will cost more per month to glue everything together. I also want to mention that our clients have found the page builder to be very simple to learn, it is very intuitive.

Hosting - https://wpengine.com/

Site builder - WordPress Page Builder Plugin | Beaver Builder

Add-ons for beaver builder - https://www.ultimatebeaver.com/

Header and Footer for beaver builder - Beaver Themer | A WordPress Theme Builder

Forms - Gravity Forms | #1 Trusted WordPress Form Plugin | Contact Form Builder

[Guest]

Magda,

You really need to send this message up to the Adobe executives. They can't just shut it down without compensating the partners. If they think they can just get away with shutting it down, they are mistaken. The partners have invested good amount of resources and time, which will be down the drain. Besides, migrating sites cost a lot of money and efforts. Who would compensate for all that? Adobe is so irresponsible. Maybe, BC partners filing a class action lawsuit may wake them up. I am very disappointed at Adobe.

To all partners,

We need to do something about this together. I am one of the partners that have to endure a lot of pain from this and I do not want to let the large company throw small players like us under the bus.

[babrewer_brewer_marketing]

Given how this announcement was made - akin to divorce via a text message -  it would seem that at least some decision makers at Adobe didn’t see bc eol as a material event.  Publicly traded US companies are obligated to disclose events that could materially impact revenues, margins, net income, stock price, etc.  Perhaps the bc revenue and margin contribution is small enough relative to other Adobe product streams that it is immaterial from a financial perspective.  It is certainly material to bc “partners”, devastatingly so.

The Sr. execs at Adobe aren’t idiots as the financial results Adobe has posted demonstrate.  I would bet however that this decision was made at a level and by people who were looking mainly at the financials - either without an understanding of the impact this would have on Adobe’s bc “partners", or worse - without regard for that impact.

No senior product line manager or exec in a big software company keeps his or her job without growing revenue and margins - making money and generating free cash flow.  They also have to manage product life cycles, ensure new things are coming out of the pipeline to replace and augment those products that are dying or at least fading.  I am sure we all get it - it’s a balancing act.

There is another key part of managing a business or product line however, and one that I think was badly missed with the bc eol announcement.  No manager, no line executive and no company wants to be labeled as untrustworthy.  It may not be as immediate or as direct as missing quarterly financial results - but bad PR can certainly have an impact on your stock price and erode public trust - see Facebook.

For many partners, bc IS their business model - promoted as such by Adobe.  Financial materiality aside, the nature of the relationship between Adobe and BC partners should have warranted a much better handling of this announcement.  We all get that bc was no longer strategic to Adobe, but why announce eol with a post - why not have some of the Sr. Adobe team deliver the message, listen to our feedback and suggestions, answer our questions, and in general own this decision?  The lack of involvement from more Sr. folks at Adobe speaks volumes.

I don’t think any of us believe Adobe is going to change their mind or begin to re-invest in bc. It would however seem fair and reasonable for Adobe to at least entertain extending the  eol date and perhaps even offering some financial assistance for those who must eat the migration costs of moving clients.

Right now - we’re in effect just shooting the messenger.  As others have suggested, this dialogue needs to be happing much further up the line at Adobe where we might be able to demonstrate the benefits - to Adobe and bc partners -  of adjusting the eol plan.

[C9-MB]

The reality is that there is no way back from this announcement - Adobe have killed the future of BC because nobody in their right mind would trust Adobe if they now said - oh ok, sorry, we won't do it - everyone now has no option even if that were to happen, and must be looking to move as and when they can - it's dead.

However, having said that, my biggest beef is the decision to End-of-Sale in 3 months.

Tech products End-of-Life all the time, and provided that the process is reasonable and workable, life goes on.

Something more reasonable and compatible with the needs of partners to put bread on the table and pay the rent would have been: End-of-Sale Mar-26-2019, End-of-Life Mar-26-2020.

I can't believe that Adobe would not be using elastic hosting infrastructure that they can wind back as demand falls, or that they couldn't afford to carry the required tech-support for an additional 9-months.

With a more reasonable End-of-Sale, people would be able to meet immediate commitments (migration conditions would obviously need to be accounted for) and meet their other business commitments, while they researched and came up to speed on alternative platforms. Obviously not perfect or going to work for every case, but a damned sight better than no income option in 12-weeks.

A publicly listed company choosing to send their partners broke this way must surely leave them very exposed to unconscionable behavior.

[SarahSYS1]

Extending the EOL date and go live date would probably prevent some agencies going out of business

I agree with Brewer Marketing.

increasing the EOL date to 3 or preferable 4 years would make a massive difference.

Extending the go live date by 6-9 months would also be a huge benefit.

We have over 150 live sites on BC. We spend nearly $2,000 per month on hosting, nearly $50,000 since we have been using BC

We have invested a huge amount of time developing code to allow us to make very high quality sites cost effectively.

We have about 12 sites in the development stage, a couple of big sites ready to go live. 2 years life will not be acceptable, 3 or 4 years would be.

Extending the go live date by 6 months would allow agencies the time to make a transition to another platform.

Extending the EOL to 4 years and the go live date by 6 months could probably make the difference between some agencies going out of business or not. even if it is done without any support or development.

No one is going stay with BC now, they will be