It’s official! Epicor has just announced that the latest major product upgrade to 11.1.100 will begin in April 2021. For those of us that find new software exciting, this announcement has us looking forward to discovering what Epicor has developed in its new Kinetics User Interface as well as any other enhancements that have been made. If, however, this announcement has you worried about what you may be facing, here is some information that may help. 

What can we expect to see?
So far not a lot has been released about what we can anticipate seeing in E11. What we do expect is the further development of the Kinetics interface, with screens and forms now accessible in web browsers, and additional capabilities within Application Studio for personalizing the UI. What this should mean is an upgrade process that is no more significant than moving from one release to another. Unlike the change from E9 to E10, there have been no major changes made to the backbone of the system, lowering the complexity of a move to this new product from E10 significantly.

Should we be in a hurry to upgrade?
If you are an on-premise customer, there is no rush. As we discuss in a previous blog, Fear of Upgrades, it is important to have a plan for upgrading on a regular schedule. An upgrade every 2 years, at minimum, will allow you to stay current with support and continue to receive the benefits of bug fixes and new enhancements. The longer you wait, however, the higher the risk that the upgrade will require more resources and come with a higher level of stress. 

Epicor cloud customers will be on a quicker timeline, and as with any patch or release, will have a schedule provided from Epicor. Pilot systems will be upgraded weeks prior to a go live date, allowing time for testing Unique Business Components in the new system, as well as allowing users a chance to acclimate to any changes. All of these important dates can be found outlined on EpicWeb.

How can I find out more?
You can find all of the latest information in EpicWeb, including important dates, how to prepare, and next steps. We highly recommend that you keep an eye out for webinar emails that are expected to occur at the beginning of April. These webinars will be the first look at the new product and are an important tool for providing information that can be used in creating an upgrade plan.       

Lastly, if you are still on your journey through the E10.2 releases, please feel free to join Teccweb for a free information workshop on Kinetics on March 25th, 2021 at 1pm EDT. During this workshop, a Teccweb expert will walk through the Kinetic interface as well as show some of the easy personalizations that can be created. For more information on how to register, visit our website.