STEP Update and End-of-Life Information

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 2024.4 update: the first four digits (2024) indicate the year of the update, and the last digit (4) indicates the calendar quarter.

Quarterly updates provide faster time to market, enabling quicker access to new capabilities and market feedback. This approach allows Stibo Systems to be responsive to changing market conditions and rapidly enhance solutions. The mandatory update cycle for SaaS v2 customers ensures users always benefit from the latest technology.

The target dates for SaaS v2 updates are as follows:

• Q1 update - March

• Q2 update - June

• Q3 update - September

• Q4 update - December

2024.4 is the final update for on-premises systems and other non-SaaS v2 environments. Refer to the STEP Updates and Support End Dates section below for details.

STEP Updates and Support End Dates

Stibo Systems supports the latest two updates for customers whose SaaS v2 systems are enrolled in continuous updates.

For updates prior to 2024.4: Support time varies for customers not on continuous updates (i.e., on-premises, SaaS V1 systems, and some SaaS v2 systems). Odd-numbered updates (i.e., ends in 1 or 3) have short-term support and are supported for one year. Updates with long-term support are even-numbered updates (i.e., ends in a 2 or 4).

Update	Update Available to Customers	EOL for on-prem and other non-SaaS v2 systems	EOL for SaaS v2 systems not enrolled in continuous updates	EOL for SaaS v2 systems enrolled in continuous updates
11.0	June 8, 2022	June 8, 2025	June 8, 2025	N/A
11.1	November 30, 2022	November 30, 2025	November 30, 2025	N/A
11.2	June 7, 2023	March 7, 2026	March 7, 2026	N/A
2023.3	September 27, 2023	September 30, 2024	September 30, 2024	N/A
2023.4	December 13, 2023	June 13, 2026	June 13, 2026	N/A
2024.1	March 27, 2024	March 31, 2025	March 31, 2025	September 30, 2024
2024.2	June 12, 2024	September 30, 2026	September 30, 2026	December 31, 2024
2024.3	September 16, 2024	September 30, 2025	September 30, 2025	March 31, 2025
2024.4	December 11, 2024	December 31, 2027	December 31, 2026	June 30, 2025

For updates after 2024.4:  All feature updates are exclusive to SaaS v2 customers.

In the tables below, dates in parentheses represent target dates for future updates, providing customers the information needed to plan ahead. In future updates, additional dates will be added as available.

Update	Update Available to Customers	EOL for SaaS v2 systems not enrolled in continuous updates	EOL for SaaS v2 systems enrolled in continuous updates
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 30, 2027)	6 months after update (December 31, 2025)
2025.3	(October 2025)	12 months after update (October 31, 2026)	6 months after update (April 30, 2026)
2025.4	(December 2025)	18 months after update (July 31, 2027)	6 months after update (June 30, 2026)

Customers should update to the latest version of Stibo Systems Enterprise Platform (STEP) as soon as possible . 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 for information about updating your version via the SaaS Self-Service UI.

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 no longer being supported will be closed on the EOL date. It is not possible to extend the support services for updates that have reached their EOL.

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 when an update is available to customers.

Using the SaaS Self-Service UI Release Preview Sandbox functionality, you can create a time-limited sandbox to explore 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 SaaS 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 testing / preview period begins again, and you can start testing on the newest STEP update.

For example:

When 2024.4 (i.e., the latest update) is available, you can spend 90 days testing. If you do not initiate an update during that time period, Stibo Systems will apply 2024.4 to all of your environments during the time period that 2025.1 is released. Using a sandbox, testing can begin on 2025.1 once it is released, while your other environments use 2024.4.

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.

Release Preview Sandbox Considerations

Release Preview Sandbox includes:

• A copy of the SaaS Self-Service UI IP and SFTP access control configuration from the source Sandbox environment.

• Transfer of a limited number of basic configuration properties from the source Sandbox environment; no integration-related configuration properties are transferred.

• Transfer of file system contents such as hotfolders, Web UI localization files, images, and icons from the source Sandbox environment.

• Configuration of the Stibo Systems SaaS mail relay server.

Release Preview Sandbox does 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.

• Integration with an identity provider as that would require configuration within the identity provider itself.

• Custom extensions. However, custom extensions can be installed manually afterwards using the Remote System Administration API / UI if required.

• Transfer of the local image cache since it could result in images not being shown instantly and, in some cases, not at all unless they are imported again.

Additional Resources

There are two additional topics that users should be familiar with around deprecations, lifecycle changes, etc.

• License and Component Lifecycle

• Deprecations and Lifecycle Changes