This topic contains details around the cadence of STEP updates and baseline end-of-life (EOL) information for the STEP updates listed.
Update Frequency
STEP updates are currently identified by year and quarter to align with the quarterly update cadence. Consider the 2024.3 update: the first four digits (2024) indicate the year of the update, and the last digit (3) indicates the calendar quarter. Additional updates will be as follows: 2024.4, 2025.1, 2025.2, etc.
Quarterly updates mean a shorter time to market so that you can take advantage of new capabilities faster. It also means faster market feedback leading to improved overall quality. By releasing quarterly, Stibo Systems can be responsive to changing market conditions and quickly enhance our solution to best fit your needs. With a quarterly update cycle and mandatory updates (currently applicable to our SaaS v2 customers), Stibo Systems aims to make updates seamless so that you always benefit from our latest technology.
For 2024, the Q4 update is targeted for the second week of December.
For 2025, target dates for updates are as follows:
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The Q1 update is available the first week of April.
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The Q2 update is targeted for the third week of June.
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The Q3 update is targeted for the first week of October.
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The Q4 update is targeted for the second week of December.
STEP Updates and Support End Dates
Starting with the 2024.1 update, Stibo Systems is providing support for the latest two updates for those customers whose SaaS v2 systems are enrolled in continuous updates.
Support time varies for those customers not already on continuous updates (i.e., on-premises, SaaS v1 systems, some SaaS v2 systems). Odd-numbered updates (i.e., 2024.1, 2024.3) are the updates with short-term support, and they are supported for one year. Updates with long-term support are even-numbered updates (i.e., 2024.2, 2024.4). Long-term support will gradually decrease to one year, over a number of future updates.
The dates in parentheses represent target dates for future updates, providing customers the information needed to plan ahead.
|
Update |
Update Available to Customers |
EOL for systems not enrolled in continuous updates |
EOL for systems enrolled in continuous updates |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10.3 |
December 8, 2021 |
November 1, 2024 |
N/A |
|
11.0 |
June 8, 2022 |
June 8, 2025 |
N/A |
|
11.1 |
November 30, 2022 |
November 30, 2025 |
N/A |
|
11.2 |
June 7, 2023 |
March 7, 2026 |
N/A |
|
2023.3 |
September 27, 2023 |
September 30, 2024 |
N/A |
|
2023.4 |
December 13, 2023 |
June 13, 2026 |
N/A |
|
2024.1 |
March 27, 2024 |
March 31, 2025 |
September 30, 2024 |
|
2024.2 |
June 12, 2024 |
September 30, 2026 |
December 31, 2024 |
|
2024.3 |
September 16, 2024 |
September 30, 2025 |
March 31, 2025 |
|
2024.4 |
(December 2024) |
24 months after update (December 31, 2026) |
6 months after update (June 30, 2025) |
|
2025.1 |
(April 2025) |
12 months after update (April 30, 2026) |
6 months after update (October 31, 2025) |
|
2025.2 |
(June 2025) |
21 months after update (March 31, 2027) |
6 months after update (December 31, 2025) |
Additional dates will be added when available.
Customers should update as soon as possible to the latest version of Stibo Systems Enterprise Platform (STEP). Contact Stibo Systems if you have questions and/or to receive help and guidance on how to update to a supported update. Also, refer to the SaaS 'How To' videos located on the Stibo Systems Service Portal to find information about updating your version via the self-service portal.
Software errors reported for the updates shown above may be rejected after the listed effective dates. Instead, Stibo Systems Support will recommend that you update to a supported version. Application support issues in progress for the updates being desupported will be closed on the desupport date. It is not possible to extend the support services for desupported updates.
Stibo Systems SaaS customers can refer to the 'Software Release Updates' section of the SaaS - Technical Datasheet (part of your contracting information). For on-prem customers, Stibo Systems was contracted (under Supported Versions) to support major STEP updates for three calendar years from the update date. Those contracts are honored via the deadlines outlined above and the notice being given in this topic.
Preview Period and Mandatory Update
SaaS customers enrolled in continuous updates can test new updates during a 90-day update preview period. This preview period begins once an update becomes available to customers.
Using the SaaS Self-Service UI Release Preview Sandbox functionality, you can create a time-limited sandbox to try out the latest STEP update without having to update any of your existing environments. The Release Preview Sandbox is free of charge, fully functional, and is automatically decommissioned after a period of seven days. After those seven days, a new sandbox can be created as required. This can continue for 90 days.
During this time, you can choose to update on your own using the Self-Service UI. This flexibility allows you to schedule around holiday periods, change freezes, or other scenarios. If you do not update, a mandatory update will be pushed to your existing environments at the end of the preview period.
Once a new update is available, the 90-day preview period begins again, and you can start testing on the newest STEP update.
For example:
When 2024.3 is available (i.e., the latest update), you can spend 90 days testing. If you do not initiate an update yourself during that time period, Stibo Systems will apply 2024.3 to all of your environments during the same time period that 2024.4 is released. Using a sandbox, testing can begin on 2024.4 once it is released, while your other environments use 2024.3.
Mandatory updates will be rolled out to customers beginning with the 2024.1 update. Once you are enrolled in continuous updates, you will receive communication from Stibo Systems when an update becomes available. As the end of the preview period approaches, more communication is made to encourage you to update. Communication continues as the date of your automatic upgrade approaches.
Considerations
Release Preview Sandbox includes:
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A copy of the SaaS Self-Service UI IP and SFTP access control configuration from the source Sandbox environment.
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Transfer of a limited number of basic configuration properties from the source Sandbox environment; No integration-related configuration properties are transferred.
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Transfer of file system contents such as hotfolders, Web UI localization files, images, and icons from the source Sandbox environment.
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Configuration of the Stibo Systems SaaS mail relay server.
Release Preview Sandbox does not include:
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The Release Preview Sandbox will not include functionality that may be available on the source Sandbox environment but that is dependent on additional infrastructure such as Faceted Search, Publishing (InDesign), Loqate Address validation, and the Audit Messaging Framework.
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Integration with an identity provider is not available (as that would require configuration within the identity provider itself).
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No custom extensions will be installed automatically on the Release Preview Sandbox but can be installed manually afterwards using the Remote System Administration API / UI if required.
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No transfer of the local image cache takes place, which could result in images not being shown instantly and, in some cases, not at all unless they are imported again.