AVTECH Announces Retirement Status For PageR Enterprise Software
Warren, RI - AVTECH Software Inc. (AVTECH), manufacturer of PageR Enterprise software for network-wide monitoring, has grown significantly over recent years as a result of leading edge developments in IT & facilities environment monitoring. Their Room Alert & TemPageR products are industry stalwarts used around the world. This strong market acceptance has led to serious growth and success during recent years. In December 2008, AVTECH purchased Cutler Mill, a 68,000 SF mill complex in Warren, Rhode Island that was built in 1868. After 12 months and a million dollar renovation, the new facility has become AVTECH's corporate headquarters and a showplace for historic mill restoration. AVTECH expects to more than double annual sales during the next 12-18 months as new products move from the drawing board to full market release. However, with new directions planned, AVTECH will retire it's PageR Enterprise software within the next 12 months. PageR has been one of AVTECH's core products for 19 years, with the first version released in 1991 for OpenVMS.
"First and foremost, AVTECH wants to let our customers know that we appreciate their loyalty over the years," says Elizabeth Charette, Marketing Manager, "and we'll continue to support them for some time to come." AVTECH will continue supporting PageR customers beyond their current Maintenance Support & Update Service (MSUS) agreements as a gesture of good will. "We've retired products before," says Charette. "In the mid 1990's when AVTECH migrated our most popular products from Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC) OpenVMS platform to Windows, we provided complimentary support service for more than three years after we stopped selling them."
As of Saturday, May 1, 2010, AVTECH will stop selling new licenses for PageR and no existing MSUS agreements will be extended. Exceptions will be allowed for prospects with quotes that have not yet expired. AVTECH hopes to discontinue any contractual technical support services for PageR as existing MSUS agreements expire during the next year. However, AVTECH will continue to provide technical support for PageR beyond that time by assisting customers when possible on a complimentary basis. New software keys will no longer be available in the near future so customers will not be able to move PageR licenses to new host systems. Customers with non-expiring keys will be able to run their PageR software as long as the host hardware is in use. AVTECH will transition ongoing support resources into the development of newer technologies like AVTECH's Device ManageR software, new environment monitors, new sensors and new software products.
PageR remains an extremely powerful and stable software product. This retirement is in no way related to any weakness or flaw in the software. The decision to retire PageR is based upon comparing it's future with that of other AVTECH products and being honest about where AVTECH wants to be in the future. "We've been monitoring market opportunities for the last couple of years and believe that this is the best time for everyone involved", says Charette. "We have also completed customer studies which revealed that most PageR customers are primarily looking for capabilities that are already duplicated in our Device ManageR software, which is included free with all Room Alert and TemPageR monitors." New features and enhancements that are being requested by customers will be easier to accomplish in Device ManageR and are not possible in PageR. This change in focus will allow better and faster integration with new technologies, greater graphic and online features, and integration with new smart phone and green technologies.
Because PageR was written in the late 1990's and monitors billions of different servers, devices and events network-wide, our developers have reached a point where ongoing product enhancement opportunities are limited. Making core changes to the software source code, based on the programming language PageR is written in, would risk disrupting over 100,000 end users if something were to break. Competitive products like Tivoli, OpenView and Unicenter share similar concerns although have bigger staff counts and budgets to make changes and finance the risk. AVTECH believes it makes sense to retire PageR now, while it is completely stable and provide support into the future on an as needed basis. AVTECH hopes there will be no inconvenience for PageR customers and will continue working with them in an effort to ease any software transition.
For more information on our Device ManageR software or any AVTECH product, please visit us online at www.AVTECH.com.
888.220.6700
Sales@AVTECH.com
AVTECH Software, Inc.