The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 14: Winter 2019 | Page 38

TECHNOLOGY END OF LIFE... Navigating the world of ever-changing tech Bathcomms have been helping clients manage change in the Digital World for over two decades. What they’ve learnt is being put to good use for their eCommerce customers right now. Magento – the popular eCommerce platform owned by Adobe – has announced that Magento 1 will be End of Life in June 2020. That term – End of Life – cold, matter of fact, final, can sound a bit brutal. The reality is that websites running Magento 1 on July 1st 2020 won’t suddenly keel over. A giant plug shan’t be pulled leaving hapless retailers foundering as their online sales plummet. There is a risk with these dramatic statements that things can get a bit Y2K. However, there’s a greater risk for businesses that wilfully ignore these important dates. What will happen in July 2020 is that Magento will stop releasing updates to Magento 1. Currently, when security flaws and bugs are found, Magento will release patches to fix the problems. Staying on top of these updates is increasingly important for eCommerce retailers. Data handling needs to be managed well and securely, with breaches not only effecting the trust of customers but also liable to attract potentially hefty fines too. It’s been over 12 years since the Magento 1 platform was launched. And my goodness, how the Internet has changed in those 12 years! The very first iPhone was barely two months old when Magento was released in beta. In this instance, it’s a good thing that Magento 1 is soon to be End of Life. It’s a good thing that Magento 2 is here, much-improved, and ready to carry the weight of responsibility that businesses demand of their eCommerce platforms. Change can be tricky and frustrating, but for those who embrace it there can be so many rewards. It’s easy to dismiss ‘New’ as merely a hyped-up feature-word that marketing teams slap on their products - for many things, not just software. Of course, new isn’t always better … unless what is new is actually better. For Magento users, if you’re on M1 the time is now to plan and manage your migration to M2. Magento 2 is a very good upgrade for Magento 1 users. It works with recent web technologies much better, it’s faster to use, it’s easier for admins to manage, and it’s better suited to be more friendly with Search Engines. Making the web work for you EMAIL: CALL US: 38 [email protected] 01225 400337 www.tbebathandsomerset.co.uk And for all users of software, planning well for End of Life dates for the products you’re using will help you to migrate to new platforms in good time, without rush, and in a considered manner. Complacency never served any business well – getting good at managing change is a key skill business owners must embrace. Ask your technology provider how you can plan well for future change. Bathcomms work with our clients to proactively ensure good strategy is implemented for their digital technology and marketing goals. If you run an eCommerce store, a website, or have any digital presence and you’d like to see how you might improve your results, call us on 01225 400337 or email: [email protected]. For more info: www.bathcomms.com