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.

[Fubals]

10 Years minimum!!

Just do the math, 150 sites to rebuild on some unknown platform somewhere... If you manage to rebuild 15 sites a year onto a new platform (dont forget you still need to make a living with other work) so 15 sites a year is actually generous for 1 staff member, considering the sites will need reworking, configurations, testing ongoing support etc... that would be 10 years to get them all across!

What a ridiculous situation Adobe is forcing its Partners?? (huh...?) into.

[BillyBowyer]

Totally agree, 2 years is a complete joke...

150 websites, that's 1 complete (100% live) migration every 3.48 days (taking into account weekends and public holidays).
So lets say you're totally ok with working every single day for the next 2 years solid, no weekends, no holidays, no sick days, just 7 days - week on week, Sunday might as well be Wednesday... Well, then you can relax because you now have 4.86 days to do the migration of every single site...

...And that's if you have an actionable game plane ready to execute on the day Adobe made the announcement.

... Does Adobe care, at all, one little bit..?

no.

[Fubals]

We need a minimum of 5 years! This is not a big deal for Adobe to do this, keep the platform turned on even in a very minimal unsupported state (no more sites to be added just migrated)

They think that Partners will just suck it up and not mobilise any kind of action against them. They hide behind the enterprise thinking they are untouchable and that they can do anything they like without any consequence befalling them.

We are in the process of obtaining government backing to legally enforce Adobe to give partners an extension on the platform, and if able to do in time - also stop Adobe from sending out the blanket EOL email to our clients. I refuse to let Adobe treat us the way they have. 2 years is not adequate, they MUST be held to account for this!!!

I am TOTALLY OUTRAGED and VERY!!! angry at Adobes arrogance, and also surprised at partners who are not angry but seemingly ready to let Adobe walk all over them. As partners we need to speak up and turn this ludicrous decision around!

As mentioned in a previous post, this isn't simply some piece of software that has been superseded, this is real peoples livelihoods they are killing off with their don't care attitude.

BC is still very much valid, current and future ready even in its present form.

...............................

TO ADOBE
Why not do the unthinkable? and reverse your decision, or at the very least give us more time....

...............................

[Barry Alt]

Magda,

I've held back on voicing my opinion here on the boom you dropped on us but there is a limit to what we can take. I just tried to chat with support about an issue and the link to Contact Support has been disabled.

If your going to play these games for the next two years you ain't heard nothing yet.

Please tell me how the hell we can contact support and get our questions answered.

Barry

[cristinel@adobe]

Hi Barry,

I can confirm that Contact support does not work for me either, but I can assure this is an unfortunate coincidence and has no relation with this discussion.

We will look at the issue asap. In the meanwhile can you send me a private message with your problem and I can open a case for you.

Thank you,

Cristinel

[Barry Alt]

Please do as this just to the shit heep we're already dealing with.

Thanks,

BA

[Barry Alt]

Fill in the "**** heep" with whatever you want, apparently I've been censored.

[cristinel@adobe]

Hi Barry,

The problem should be fixed now.

[CATKINS74]

I read through most of the comments on "BC end of service" and concur with most of the sentiment. As a longtime Advocate, Business Partner and Consumer of Adobe Products, for over the last 20 years and most of my professional career I have road the waves of innovation with Adobe and will probably continue to do so. But what makes this announcement is so disheartening faith diminishing in Adobe is that the BC Hosting Service had my professional and personal business deeply tied into it.  Just shortly I have a side Web Development business with a handful of "satisfied" clients that I now have to disrupt and a core business that I spent 3mos. convincing management to move to the BC Platform because of its stability and 6 mos. of development work that includes templates, dynamic tagging and DB development that I will have to turn around and do all over. The business impact of decommissioning BC to so many thousands of consumers without a reasonable replacement was NOT thoroughly thought out.  I can get another image editing tool or WYSIWYG.  It's a lot more complicated to uproot my Digital Marketing Storefront.       

[StudioBQ]

Without hesitation I can say I will never, ever have another client project or piece of my business built on an Adobe product after the challenge the next year now presents interpersonally, logistically and economically. With client after client, we have advocated for BC over other solutions - and boy, do I regret that now...after 7 years of “partnership”.

Really nicely done. BC is a living, breathing property that supplies lifeblood to 1,000’s...you’re wounding every single one of us. I sure hope you enjoy the fruits of that karma.

Magda: I feel for you. You should stop reading these comments or trying to respond. Everyone is rightfully outraged and petrified, and your words are hollow in response - not because you don’t have empathy, but because there is nothing of value you can say.

[mankam45]

any possibility of making it open source?

I am sure community will support it.

[Kulsha_DWD]

A question for @Cristinel please.

You stated earlier about changing yearly to monthly the following:

One more thing, I would suggest that you refrain from changing the frequency this month as we plan to update the functionality as soon as possible so that you can keep your yearly pricing of your current plan, but split into monthly payments.

Can you please indicate when "as soon as possible" would be and most importantly how will we know when it is safe to change frequency. I have all of my sites on the old webCommerce and webMarketing plans on yearly with me as the partner. I will need to convert these as monthly direct with client but obviously cannot have the monthly fee based on the newer Gold / Silver amounts.

Also if we set it up now, I assume the new monthly payment would not come into effect until the yearly plan has expired first... is that correct?

Thanks

[cristinel@adobe]

Hi Eva,

ETA we are looking for an system update next week to include such a change. we will apply a discount coupon upon changing the frequency that will lower the monthly price so that the yearly total approaches what you currently pay; an extra note here would be that if you are on an old plan (ex: webCommerce), you would also need to switch to one of the new ones (Gold or Platinum)

Indeed, the monthly payment will come into effect at the end of the current yearly cycle.

[Kulsha_DWD]

@Christinel, thank you for the quick reply. It sounded good until you said "you would also need to switch to one of the new ones (Gold or Platinum)" are you saying that all my webCommerce and webMarketing plans have to be in effect 'upgraded' to more expensive monthly pricing if I move to monthly/direct with client? Or are you saying the discount coupon will bring the price back down the old plan monthly fees? I am really hoping by switching them to forced monthly isn't going to increase the price. There is no way I can keep it at partner billing and pay Adobe monthly for 60 sites and chase up clients for monthly payments, the bookkeeping would wipe me out let-alone dealing with moving 60 client sites to different platforms!

To be clear: Can you give me an example for the current yearly webCommerce $449.88 AUD plan, currently set to partner billing and then transferred to direct client billing monthly would be = $AUD ?? / mth

Thanks

[cristinel@adobe]

Hi Eva,

For example, with the discount the webCommerce sites will end up around AUD 420 for the entire year (assuming you migrate to the Gold plan)

Cristinel

[Kulsha_DWD]

@Christinel, I have to give my clients quotes. I've told them they are forced to go monthly and they naturally are asking me what this will cost. I can't tell them "around $420 for the year". They need to know what's going to come off their credit card each month.

Currently my partner price for webCommerce is $449.88AUD per year. If I convert that to direct client billing per month, how much per month will it be in $AUD. Can you give me the AUD MONTHLY price direct with client IF moving from partner billing to client billing.

Currently for webCommerce it is $37.49 / mth but they are clients that transferred to client billing before the new plans.

Eva

[cristinel@adobe]

To compensate for the increase due to plan switch and billing cycle switch, we will be offering a 30% off discount coupon when switching from an old yearly plan to a new monthly plan.

In your case, webCommerce plans will need to to upgraded to Gold plans which cost AUD 49.99. Applying a 30 OFF discount coupon on the price, you get a 34.99 AUD per month, or 419,9 AUD per year (GST not included).

Cristinel

[scottkoons]

The dilemma...

Ok, I would like other's opinions/thoughts.  Right now I think it is safe to say that we are all hate Adobe and this sudden disloyal decision made by the company.  However, I still rely heavily on their other products like Ps, Illustrator, & Spark (luckily I chose to use Atom over Brackets).  I know there are other viable options out there, but there is a learning curve and right now, I have all of my time committed with changing things over.  My CC license is set to renew in a couple of weeks.  Where is everyone else in the CC dilemma?  I really don't want to give Adobe any more money, but I feel trapped.  I guess I won't be going to MAX this year.

-Scott

[Todd H&M]

With needed focus on migrating BC sites, I'll be sticking with CC for now until that's complete, hopefully by the end of the year. It just makes sense for continuity in the short term (1 year).

But after that I'll be considering pulling the plug. I can probably easily replace TypeKit, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver. I still do print design work so I really am not sure what I would replace InDesign with. I may downgrade to a single license for $20 instead of the current all you can eat $50. But if I can find a reasonable alternative to InDesign that can open up those files I'll move from that as well. Might be time to move back to Quark.

QuarkXPress 2017 Competitive Upgrade Promo

[cristinel@adobe]

Hi Todd,

The sites will remain active for as long as your CC subscription (purchased prior to 2015 remains active and unchanged. I assume that your CC subscription is due to renew or has been recently renewed, case in which the expire date will be updated automatically.

However, if you change your CC subscription or fail a payment, you will need to upgrade them to webHosting plan as any new CC subscription does not include free Business Catalyst sites.

Cristinel

[C9-MB]

Ever since Dreamweaver became a CS3 product (post Macromedia) to replace GoLive, I found myself using it less and less, and these days I'm using Visual Studio Code - the free open-source code editor from MS - almost exclusively, even though there isn't a built-in SFTP connector. It's just a better modern mousetrap, and I dare say that a similar situation might be true for many of Adobe's 'legacy' apps.

I've owned or subscribed-to Adobe products ever since it acquired Page-Maker from Aldus, but I'm now going to be finding acceptable replacements of everything I use CC for, and cancel my subscription.

[markt15208157]

I have used the following to replace Adobe after the Muse & BC EOL, hope this helps:

Affinity Photo for iPad to replace Spark & Photoshop

Affinity Photo for Windows (Was on Sale in the Microsoft Store last I checked)

Affinity Designer to replace Ai & XD

Affinity Publisher is due soon to replace InDesign according to their YT channel

- a few things different with the Affinity suite, but not too much of a learning curve from Adobe & support for their files. Plus no subscription just the equivalent of one months CC sub.

DaVinici Resolve & Fusion to replace Premier Pro and Ae (Free)

- for free products i'm very pleased with them, understanding the basics just fine, more complex stuff will no doubt take more time

Bootstrap studio to replace Muse(ish)

- completely different, but rather good value and generates clean code, with a little time to understand the basics I had a fully functioning responsive site. Their YT channel will give you a good idea of what to expect.

DXO to replace lightroom

- caught them on the easter sale yesterday, not had chance to fully test with having to spend most of my time dealing with the BC fallout.

Pexels Videos to replace stock

Best of luck to everyone,

[markt15208157]

Just a heads up, Humble bundle have a creative pro bundle, you can get photo software, Vegas pro movie editing  and Xara Web Design Premium (Very similar to muse) for about $20. Might save allot of money for those who will now be in a tough financial position for a while thanks to adobe. Shoprocket.co might be a good e-commerce fit with Zara web design to replace the muse + bc combo.

[be.free]

Try Affinity Design and Affinity Photo - great Photoshop and Illustrator replacements.

[mbc9]

FWIW - Some Free options - YMMV

CC-Product       =>     FOSS Option

===========            ==================

Dreamweaver   =>     Visual Studio Code

PhotoShop       =>      GIMP

Illustrator          =>      Inkscape

InDesign          =>      Scribus

Lightroom        =>      LightZone

AdobeStock     =>      Unsplash