RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Oracle NetSuite has declared “end of life” status for at least part of an email marketing software suite that traces its roots to Durham – the Bronto Marketing Platform.
Nearly six years after Netsuite acquired Durham-based Bronto Software for approximately $200 million, the company (now Oracle Netsuite, after Oracle acquired Netsuite in 2016 for approximately $9.3 billion) on Tuesday sent an email to some customers with the news that the company has assigned the core product suite, Bronto Marketing Platform, to “end of life” status and that the last date of service will be May 31, 2022.
What does “end of life” mean?
Bronto’s logo before its sale to Netsuite
Here’s a definition from End of Life software:
“End-of-life” or EOL is a term used by software vendors indicating that it is ending or limiting it’s support on the product and/or version to shift focus on their newer products and/or version. Most vendors define a product lifecycle which consists of several phases during which a product moves where ‘end-of-life’ usually means the last phase (depending on the software vendor). These phases will determine the type of support it’s customers will receive. Examples are maintenance (software updates and security patches) and troubleshooting.
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In the specific case of product sales, a vendor may use the more specific term “end-of-sale” (EOS). The timeframe after the last release date depends on the type of product and relates to the expected product lifetime from a customer’s point of view.
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WRAL TechWire obtained the text of that email, which reads:
“Dear Customer,
“We have important news to share about the Bronto Marketing Platform. Over the coming year we will migrate our marketing automation technology and resources to the Oracle Customer Experience Cloud. We believe this will create an overall superior customer experience. Due to this strategic plan, we will no longer be selling the Bronto Marketing Platform and thus are announcing the end of life.
“This notice is to inform your company that the Bronto Marketing Platform has been assigned End of Life status and the last date of service will be May 31, 2022. The Bronto service and any related ACS or Professional Services you may have ordered will be supported until the end of the last date of service. You will be able to continue to use the Bronto service until the end of the last date of service and if you choose, you may renew your services until our last date of service, May 31, 2022.
“Please ensure that all appropriate contacts in your company are made aware of this notice.
“Thank you for being a valued customer. Your account manager will contact you shortly to discuss next steps.”
WRAL TechWire is seeking comment from Oracle.
