Running old SBT Pro Series?

This information is for those who run old SBT Pro Series (or ACCPAC Pro or Sage Pro ERP) accounting software and are a current or former client of Lefkowitz Systems. Your SBT/ACCPAC/Sage Pro still runs well on current Windows computers and, with your SBT source code license, you can add features as required. For most of you, this is good enough and I will support you and your SBT system indefinitely (if that is what you want). But for others, this is not enough. If you want something newer and better, please keep reading.

Three years ago, if an SBT Pro client asked me for an upgrade, I recommended Sage Pro ERP without hesitation. Sage Pro was the only “straight line” upgrade for SBT Pro by which I mean it was the only upgrade that converted all your SBT data, offered all the features found in SBT Pro while adding many new ones not found in your old SBT Pro. The Sage Pro learning curve was flat meaning it was easy for SBT users to learn Sage Pro.

Sage Software discontinued the Sage Pro product line in 2014. Many of you received a scary letter from Sage telling you your software was obsolete and unsupported and recommended an upgrade to some other Sage product. Sage’s decision made you accounting software orphans. In response, I presented my company to you as an SBT, ACCPAC or Sage Pro ERP orphanage.

While I like to sell upgrades to my clients, I do not like to sell upgrades under threats of catastrophe. I prefer to sell upgrades because the upgrade makes good business sense.

Until recently I did not have a strong replacement for my SBT/ACCPAC/Sage Pro clients. Now I do. I want to introduce you to Spire Systems, especially to those of you who are considering an upgrade. Spire is a fine system with an attractive price. It is not for all but I think it will work well for many. In the following paragraphs, I will make the general case for Spire for Pro users and, also, identify reasons not to buy Spire. If you make it to the bottom without discovering a disqualifying reason, please contact me.

— Matt Lefkowitz