RM announce End Of Life for CC4, and the development of a replacement product

[rhysa]

After much speculation, RM have today announced the End of Life date for CC4 as October 14th 2025. Along with this announcement, they revealed that they are working on the "development of a cutting-edge platform poised to succeed CC4"...

 

Personally i do not expect this to be much more than a continuation from their existing Vanilla offerings. I highly doubt they will develop a product as complex as CC3 and 4 was for its day. Expect more info in September and they say that scheduling installations will begin in November... Lets just hope its smoother than CC4 was when it first launched

 

Embracing the Future of School Networks (rm.com)

[slugshead]

We've formatted our CC4 network and cancelled the contracts this summer

[Ratcliffepg]

Still use CC4....but moved most things to Intune, Sharepoint.

[notsogenius]

I wonder if this offering is to try and avoid the massive haemorrhaging of customers going away from CC4. I expect we'll look at it - we haven't locked into our plan post CC4 but it's poor how late in the day its come. We were badgering RM with what was going on prior to the summer and none of this 'development of a cutting-edge platform' was mentioned.

 

Looking at the dates in their roadmap - It feels a little too late - given any remaining schools will be planning to migrate next summer (well maybe in the middle time if you're a small school i guess) it really doesn't give you time to make a decision - at least in favour of the 'cutting-edge platform'

 

September 2024: Announcement of the platform launch date and features overview. - Lets just call this 'cutting-edge platform' - CC5...

 

November 2024: Distribution of a sample installation schedule and commencement of customer scheduling. - I suspect migration to 'CC5' to be chaos if they're taking bookings in November.

[ITSystems_JamesE]

I wonder if this offering is to try and avoid the massive haemorrhaging of customers going away from CC4. I expect we'll look at it - we haven't locked into our plan post CC4 but it's poor how late in the day its come. We were badgering RM with what was going on prior to the summer and none of this 'development of a cutting-edge platform' was mentioned.

 

Looking at the dates in their roadmap - It feels a little too late - given any remaining schools will be planning to migrate next summer (well maybe in the middle time if you're a small school i guess) it really doesn't give you time to make a decision - at least in favour of the 'cutting-edge platform'

 

September 2024: Announcement of the platform launch date and features overview. - Lets just call this 'cutting-edge platform' - CC5...

 

November 2024: Distribution of a sample installation schedule and commencement of customer scheduling. - I suspect migration to 'CC5' to be chaos if they're taking bookings in November.

Hi all,

I wanted to share some exciting news for CC4 schools. We at IT Systems & Support Limited have developed a complete Windows 11 Client Pack for CC4, allowing you to build Windows 11 Education computers onto your CC4 network. This can be done using the existing RM Computer Build process, whether through PXE, USB, or Smart Client. Our Windows 11 integration pack includes updated registry policies for Windows 11, all of which are accessible within the RM Management Console. Additionally, we have created an Office 2021 Integration Pack, enabling the deployment of the volume license version of Office 2021 Pro Plus to your CC4 stations, along with updated registry policies.

While the future of CC4 remains uncertain as RM plans to make it end-of-life (EOL) next year, we understand that many schools won’t have the budget to move away from CC4. That’s why we’ve developed these integration packs, offering a cost-effective way to extend the life of your network and provide the latest software to your users.

If you're interested, please feel free to submit an enquiry through our form:

https://www.itsystems.uk.com/cc4/

Alternatively, send me a DM on EduGeek if you'd like to arrange a call.

Kind regards,

James

Edited September 6, 2024 by ITSystems_JamesE

[synaesthesia]

Horse, stable, door?

[ITSystems_JamesE]

Horse, stable, door?

Hi Synaesthesia,

 

Thank you for your response. I understand where you're coming from with "horse, stable, door." While it's true that RM has announced CC4's EOL and some schools have already moved away from it, we also know that many schools simply don't have the budget or immediate need to replace their existing CC4 infrastructure.

 

Our solution is designed for those schools that need to get the most out of their current CC4 network before they transition. By offering Windows 11 and Office 2021 integration packs, we aim to give schools a cost-effective option to continue using CC4 with the latest software, without the need for a full system overhaul right away.

For those still running CC4, we believe this offers real value in extending the life of their investment. We’re here to support schools through this period of change.

 

Kind regards,

James

[notsogenius]

Hi Synaesthesia,

 

Thank you for your response. I understand where you're coming from with "horse, stable, door." While it's true that RM has announced CC4's EOL and some schools have already moved away from it, we also know that many schools simply don't have the budget or immediate need to replace their existing CC4 infrastructure.

 

Our solution is designed for those schools that need to get the most out of their current CC4 network before they transition. By offering Windows 11 and Office 2021 integration packs, we aim to give schools a cost-effective option to continue using CC4 with the latest software, without the need for a full system overhaul right away.

For those still running CC4, we believe this offers real value in extending the life of their investment. We’re here to support schools through this period of change.

 

Kind regards,

James

 

Apologies for the copy and paste from my thoughts on another post advertising a similar product (and for a little bit of abruptness). This sort of make do and mend attitude stops schools staying up to date - oh we can pay for another company to support it - well lets run it until Windows 11 expires (or until a Windows 11 bug/feature breaks it anyway). If a school doesn't have an immediate need to replace a product being eol'd (Windows 10) then they're going to have any number of other issues going forward.

 

I have to ask just why?

 

You're basically pushing the can down the road making it a problem for future you (or some other poor network manager finding this in a school they've just arrived in).

 

As a CC4 customer (which the school i support is) you're gonna have to migrate away from it at some point so its time to face the music and get plans in place to do it. I know it's hard and budgets are tight but CC4 is rapidly reaching its end and getting support from a third party developing CC4 packs is frankly daft. You'll be paying money to support an outdated system and basically holding your school back from moving to a more modern solution.

 

Time to close the CC4 loop - i know not everyone is a fan and that's OK. But considering this is such a bad idea.

[ITSystems_JamesE]

Apologies for the copy and paste from my thoughts on another post advertising a similar product (and for a little bit of abruptness). This sort of make do and mend attitude stops schools staying up to date - oh we can pay for another company to support it - well lets run it until Windows 11 expires (or until a Windows 11 bug/feature breaks it anyway). If a school doesn't have an immediate need to replace a product being eol'd (Windows 10) then they're going to have any number of other issues going forward.

 

I have to ask just why?

 

You're basically pushing the can down the road making it a problem for future you (or some other poor network manager finding this in a school they've just arrived in).

 

As a CC4 customer (which the school i support is) you're gonna have to migrate away from it at some point so its time to face the music and get plans in place to do it. I know it's hard and budgets are tight but CC4 is rapidly reaching its end and getting support from a third party developing CC4 packs is frankly daft. You'll be paying money to support an outdated system and basically holding your school back from moving to a more modern solution.

 

Time to close the CC4 loop - i know not everyone is a fan and that's OK. But considering this is such a bad idea.

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts—we completely understand where you’re coming from. The challenge of balancing limited school budgets with the need to stay up-to-date is very real, and we agree that long-term planning is essential for any IT strategy, especially as systems like CC4 approach EOL.

 

That said, our approach isn’t intended to replace the need for migration or forward planning. We fully recognize that CC4 users will need to migrate to more modern systems eventually. However, the reality is that for many schools, the timelines and budgets for such projects aren’t always immediately feasible. Our goal is to offer a temporary, cost-effective solution that allows schools to keep their systems running efficiently and securely in the interim.

 

For schools that are not in a position to move on from CC4 just yet, being able to run Windows 11 and Office 2021 gives them breathing room to plan a proper migration without compromising the ability to stay somewhat current with technology in the meantime.

 

We understand this approach might not be right for everyone, but for schools that are facing severe budget constraints and can’t immediately invest in a full infrastructure overhaul, we believe this offers them a viable option to extend the lifespan of their current systems while they prepare for the transition ahead.

 

Again, we appreciate the feedback and completely agree that long-term planning is key, but we’re simply trying to offer an option for those who need more time to make the transition.

[APMerry]

RM have announced CC5.

https://www.rm.com/blog/2024/september/defining-network-management-at-schools-and-trusts-community-connect-5

 

Cloud based, but very little information at all on what it is.

[synaesthesia]

Sounds reasonably in-line with what I'd expect. It sounds very much like pushing CC4 into the cloud, but also integrating a Ruler/Locker type system for systems integrations, all made far easier as it's saas.

Whether it's going to be worth whatever they'll be charging for it, on an assumption it won't be any less than what CC4 costs, will be a larger ask. It might appear to suit smaller sites managed by MSPs rather well, but what MSP's are ever likely to actually use it?

[psydii]

Seven months between initial deployment to end of life of the previous product. That's bold.

 

Unless its primarily just a cloud version of the console and related server components, such that the client side remains basically the same but with a bridge, I'm not sure there's enough time to adequately test a product with that sort of scope.

 

Perhaps its just a skin on inTune, or another off the shelf MDM? But since MDMs are really bad at providing management of shared devices in the way Connect 1.x through 4 were good at it, I can't imagine they'd just re-skin one, they'd need to really dig in deep to get it to meet the needs that the needs of a CC4 school.

 

Perhaps it will be their Progresso moment.

[Steve21]

Sounds very much InTune-skinned like with it being iOS/Windows. Things like the optional security being AutoPatch etc

 

Going to assume a very basic teacher-controllable interface over the top of InTune settings

 

Steve

[David44]

Are any schools still using CC4 and planning to move to CC5? It's tempting to do so because it sounds logical, 5 follows 4 after all, even though it's just a name and CC5 will be a completely new product (or abstraction layer over someone else's product(s)). On the other hand, if a school is still using CC4 in October 2024, maybe that's a sign that they are not very good at making plans, if they were, they would be using something else already! I say that, half jokingly, as someone employed by a school still using CC4.