[EAS] Sage update coming in Sept.

[Sean Donelan]

On Thu, 18 Jul 2019, Mike McCarthy wrote:
> I understand the need to periodically update the boxes/systems, and that
> not everything comes with endless free updates. But my management
> won't...and doesn't care either. To them, it's simply an expense for
> another government mandate at industry.

Trilithic/Viavi switched to an annual maintenance charge for its EAS boxes 
after its merger last year.  DASDEC/Monroe has averaged about $500 for 
"major" version upgrades (3.0, 4.0) roughly every three years or so 
for its EAS boxes.

Overall, Sage Systems charging $350 after 10 years (i.e. since 2008) 
for software support and upgrades is relatively cheap. EAS is a 
small, niche market without a lot of growth opportunities. There is never 
a good time, in the customer's view, to increase prices :-). But you need 
a revenue stream to keep the lights on and paying for customer service to 
answer the phones.

The reality is Sage's interface with automation systems was getting a 
little long in the tooth, with or without any FEMA changes. Although Sage 
remains a better choice for manually operated stations, there are few
of those now. It needs a major update to its software. In my opinion, 
Trilithic/Viavi had passed Sage for simple automated customers, and 
DASDEC is still ahead of Sage for complex automation situations.

I'll have to see if the other software improvements Sage is making this 
fall are worth it.

It would have been nice to have more than 3 months advance notice, but I 
understand the business opportunity of shifting blame to the government 
when changing your long-term pricing model. The reality is Sage isn't 
doing anything different than its competitors. Alot of software companies 
(and tech companies in general) have changed to a recurring maintenance 
or subscription fee model instead of one-time perpetual licenses.