Since its inception in the early 1970s, Macola has been a popular solution in the manufacturing and distribution spaces. With such a rich history serving these industries, it is no wonder so many businesses still rely on versions of the original Macola solution today.
As the market evolves and perceptions change, customers may find themselves concerned about the future viability of their ERP. In this article, the experts at ERP Advisors Group debunk myths surrounding Macola software support and provide a guide to navigating the future of your ERP.
A Brief History of Macola Software
Macola’s roots can be traced back to early 1970’s Ohio where Macola Software developed a solution to meet the unique needs of manufacturers and distributors. Over time, the product built a devoted customer base, eventually attracting the attention of Exact Software, a prominent European vendor, which then acquired Macola in 2001.
At the time, Macola seamlessly rounded out Exact’s catalog of robust CRM applications with strong manufacturing and distribution solutions. Exact continued to invest in Macola, later releasing Macola ES and Macola 10. Those updates empowered the solution with strong financial accounting, reporting, and global business management capabilities. Exact’s investment ultimately paid off when ECI acquired Macola in 2018.
Understanding Macola Support
Macola Progression and Macola ES are the foundation of Macola, with Progression making way for the financial feature functionality Exact added with the release of ES in 1999. The next level of innovation launched in June 2014 when Exact developed Macola 10 ERP, the newest version of Macola on a newer, more modern platform for increased speed, accuracy, and reliability.
With ECI’s 2018 acquisition, they wasted no time releasing Macola 10.7 ERP. Macola 10.7 included several new capabilities, which forecasted ECI’s strategy to improve the Macola product.
ECI announced the end of “version lock” in this release, essentially reassuring customers they would have a way to continuously upgrade their solution without fear of traditional upgrade obstacles. This was done by “creating a powerful and flexible extension layer to the platform” (ecisolutions.com). This release also opened the door to a slew of new 3rd party APIs and enhanced the user experience for customers looking to grow with Macola.
When a product is considered “legacy” it is easy to assume this means reduced support, looming end-of-support, or end-of-life announcements and other obstacles that could prevent future business growth. ECI has addressed those concerns, stating, “All three Macola ERP systems—Macola Progression, Macola ES, and Macola 10—remain fully supported, with no end-of-life plans. Customers can rely on ongoing updates and technical assistance, reinforcing ECI’s commitment to protecting their investment. While Progression and ES focus primarily on platform updates, Macola 10 continues to receive new features and integration enhancements.”
What Does This Mean for Customers?
As far as ECI is concerned, Macola is a fully supported product that is still receiving updates and investment. Macola 10 continues to receive new updates, as exemplified by the release of Macola 10.8, which included an AP Voucher Workbench. And while continuing with Macola 10 is a viable option for many businesses, there are other paths forward.
Staying True to the Macola Path
Despite the modernization of Macola, it is important to understand Macola 10 still requires a client-server setup, meaning it can run in the cloud on a web interface, but is not considered to be “true” cloud. An option for Macola cloud is “hosted cloud” through third-party hosting services. While this may not be a dealbreaker for someone considering their ERP strategy, it is a factor that could impact your operating basis.
Hosted deployments are popular among businesses not wanting to take the full leap to public cloud. The upgrade to Macola 10 is a great option for companies on Macola Progression and Macola ES that need a more modern solution. And from Macola 10, ECI customers can look to upgrade to one of ECI’s go-forward products in the manufacturing space: JobBOSS2, M1, and Deacom. None of these migration paths are being forced by ECI but have been offered as options to customers who want to grow and need more from a modern ERP. Wherever you are at in your ERP journey, an upgrade with ECI will be available at your own pace.
Exploring What the ERP Market Has to Offer
When it comes time to modernize your ERP, we highly recommend considering all your options. The ERP market is vast and has evolved to meet even the most specialized of micro-verticals. If you started on Macola in the early days of your business, the system could be 30+ years old, and you have likely changed significantly. And there may be a solution that is a better fit for who you are now.
The best thing you can do for the future of your business is conduct a needs assessment to identify and document your requirements. Your needs will help drive which solutions you ultimately evaluate. If you need help navigating this process or diving into the ERP market, reach out to the experts at ERP Advisors Group! We offer free consultations to get businesses on the right track.
