Document management software developer Invu has reassured customers they will not be forced to upgrade to its new .NET application, Series 6.
In a statement responding to “industry whispers” about its product development plans following the launch of Series 6, Invu commented that “Version 5 continues to be well used and embedded in the accountancy community” and that it would issue an upgrade for those customers who wanted to stick with their existing version. Further improvements to the paperless office system are planned based on customer input, the company added.
“Both generations of product have large numbers of users and we’re committed to them. We’ve spent over a year developing this upgrade. This investment is a sign of our commitment to customers and we aim to continue with improvements based on what they tell us they want,” said Invu CEO Colin Gallick.
The scenario will be familiar to customers of IRIS, Digita and other Windows-based applications. As Microsoft moves to new programming and technology platforms, it eventually forces software developers and their customers to follow suit. The most recent programming change has been to the .NET architecture.
The most recent product upgrades ensured Invu’s compatibility with the latest Microsoft Windows and Office editions, but Invu noted, “We find that version 5 is a real ‘old faithful’ which performs well and, by and large, needs no major maintenance; our customers tell us that it’s a product which they can rely on, so why change?”
In a statement published on AccountingWEB back in January, Invu acknowledged, “With any migration there are not just costs of software – there is familiarisation with a new piece of software, training time/ costs and loss of continuity… We maintain our commitment with working with our customers and partners to ensure that any transition is as painless and low cost as possible, something which we’ve seen with many sites. If customers wish to move to the parallel Series 6 version of the product then we’re happy to work jointly with you and your partner to ensure that we mitigate any disruption and cost.”