Category: Product Updates

Act! Premium Desktop v25 now available!

Posted on by Jean McCandlish
Act! Premium version 25 boxshots

Act! v25 Premium Desktop is now available. Aimed at boosting business effectiveness, Act! v25 introduces an advanced dashboard builder and new SMS text messaging capabilities.

Now you can easily create new analytic dashboards to gain insights into your Act! data. This enables you to visualize more of your data by utilizing multiple queries, and retrieving data more quickly. The end result is that you can monitor your business performance, react to changing business conditions and respond with better decision making.

This release contains new SMS4Act! text messaging capabilities. Now you can send ad-hoc text messages to customers anywhere in the world. Messages can be personalized with contact or activity information, which can be saved as templates for future use. Texts and replies are automatically recorded in Contact or Group History records.

To top it off, enhancements have been made to Act! Marketing Automation and Act! Companion mobile App for more intuitive and end user friendly capabilities.

Announcing the NEW Act! Premium Portfolio

Posted on by Jean McCandlish

Today, Act! is releasing a brand new Act! Premium Portfolio. This new portfolio has much better value and gives customers the flexibility to choose their own method of deploying Act! The portfolio consists of Act! Premium Desktop, Act! Premium Cloud and Act! Premium Cloud with Desktop Synchronization. Let’s take a closer look at each of these components.

Act! Premium Desktop: Act! Premium Desktop is the traditional version of Act! that has been installed over the last few years. Act! v24 delivers 64 bit architecture to this environment as well as Act! Marketing Automation Basic which allows up to 2500 sends per month. This version of Act! is self-hosted. It is installed on local machines and can be set up for network use, synchronization, and even opened up for web access.

Act! Premium Cloud: Act! Premium Cloud is a SaaS offering. Your database is hosted by Act! Completely cloud based, it allows for rapid deployment. It is the cloud version of Act! that is very similar to the traditional Act! most users are familiar with. It includes full featured Act!, AMA Basic with 2500 sends per month, 6 GB’s of cloud storage, automatic updates of the software and nightly backups.

Act! Premium Cloud with Desktop Synchronization: Act! Premium Cloud with Desktop Synchronization gives you all of the features of Act! Premium Cloud, but adds the flexibility to have Synchronization databases.

The Portfolio Advantage: Act! is simplifying its portfolio with a single product, Act! Premium. It is then offering three deployment options to choose from. Act! Premium Desktop (Self Hosted), Act! Premium Cloud – Hosted by Act!, and Act! Premium Cloud with Synchronization hosted by Act! but allowing Sync databases. Each of the products has a consistent set of features and services. They are each Full Featured CRM, include AMA Basic with 2500 sends, Include Act! Insight, Act! Companion and standard support. Act! is also offering consistent add-on options across the board. Enhanced support for $10 per user per month, Custom Tables for $10 per user per month and Marketing Automation options for increased sends and capability.

Security Update

Posted on by Jean McCandlish

The following information was released by Act! today:

We recently became aware of a security vulnerability within Act! Pro, Act! Premium, and Act! Growth Suite software that may make it easier for a threat actor to gain unauthorized access to your system. To address this vulnerability, updates are available for supported versions of Act! See additional version and deployment-specific details below.

Act! Premium & Act! Growth Suite On-Premises Subscribers

To ensure the vulnerability described above is addressed, you will need to apply the appropriate update for your supported version as soon as possible. If you are currently running Act! v21 or earlier, you will need to upgrade to Act! v24 Update 4 to address this issue.

Updates are being made available for Act! v24, Act! v23, and Act! v22.1*. See Below for the release schedule and instructions.

Act! Premium & Act! Growth Suite Cloud Subscribers

To ensure the vulnerability described above is addressed, an update is required for your supported version.

  • Customers who solely access Act! in the cloud (hosted by Act!) are no longer exposed to this vulnerability, thus no action is required.
  • Customers who sync a local instance of Act! to Act! in the cloud (hosted by Act!) must apply the appropriate update for their supported version on their local instance by April 19, 2022 in order to continue syncing.
  • Customers who sync a local instance of Act! via their own network (LAN, VPN, site-to-site internet sync) will not experience an interruption in sync services but remain at risk until they apply the appropriate update for their supported version.
  • Customers who host or sync their software via a 3rd party hosting provider should contact that provider immediately to discuss the appropriate remedy.

Updates are being made available for Act! v24, Act! v23, and Act! v22.1*. If you are currently running a local instance of Act! v21 or earlier, you will need to upgrade to Act! v24 Update 4 to address this issue. See below for the release schedule and instructions.

Pro & Premium Perpetual License Holders

To ensure the vulnerability described above is addressed, you will need to apply the appropriate update for your supported version as soon as possible. If you are currently running Act! v21 or earlier, you will need to upgrade to Act! v24 Update 4 to address this issue. Customers who host or sync their software via a 3rd party hosting provider should contact that provider immediately to discuss the appropriate remedy.

Pro Perpetual License Holders: Updates will be made available for Act! Pro v24 and Act! Pro v22.1*.

Premium Perpetual License Holders: Updates will be made available for Act! v24, Act! v23, and Act! v22.1*.

See below for the release schedule and instructions.

RELEASE SCHEDULE AND INSTRUCTIONS

Act! v24 Update 4 Available 4/19/2022

Act! v23 Update 7 Available 4/19/2022

Act! v22.1 Update 5 (Available 4/28/22)

INSTRUCTIONS: You can download and install using the links above, or install directly via Act! following the instructions below. If you would like us to take care of your system, you can also arrange a time to do so by clicking here: Book an appointment with me


1) Ensure the Act! application is closed

2) Right-click Act!

3) Select run-as-admin

4) Enter username and password details

5) Navigate to the Help Menu

6) Select Act! Notifications and follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest update.

Frequently Asked Questions

How was the vulnerability discovered and what have you done in response?

A vulnerability was recently identified in Act! via routine penetration testing. The Act! engineering team has reviewed, fixed and re-assessed the vulnerability with a third-party threat intelligence vendor. Updates that address this issue are being made available for Act! v24, Act! v23, and Act! v22.1*. See above for the release schedule and additional details.

Have there been any known data breaches as a result of the vulnerability?

No, we are not currently aware of any bad actors taking advantage of the vulnerability.

What versions are getting updates and why?

Per the Act! Support Obsolescence Policy, updates are being made available for supported versions of Act!*.

What do I need to do?

To ensure that this vulnerability is addressed, an update for your supported version is required*. See above for the remedy specific to your version and deployment method. If you are currently running Act! v21 or earlier, you will need to upgrade to Act! v24 Update 4 to address this issue. Customers who host or sync their software via a 3rd party hosting provider should contact that provider immediately to discuss the appropriate remedy.

How do I know which version of Act! I’m on?

To find the version of Act! you’re currently on, go to Help > About Act! in the top navigation of Act!.

Act! v24 has major compatibility updates

Posted on by Jean McCandlish
Act! v24 Compatibility Enhancements

Along with the change to the 64-bit architecture, Act! v24 has major compatibility updates. You will be able to run Act! v24 on the latest version of Windows® 11 set for release in Q4 2021. Additional compatibility updates include support for Office 2019 and SQL Server 2019. Your Act! subscription ensures ongoing compatibility with current hardware, software, and operating systems for maximum productivity and peace of mind.

  • Windows 11
    • Deploy Act! v24 on Windows 11, releasing fall of 2021
    • Reap the benefits of a 64-bit platform with the latest security and performance enhancements from Microsoft
    • Leverage your Act! subscription to stay current and compatible
  • Office 2019
    • Act! v24 uses 64-bit integration for Outlook and Word add-ins bringing back stability and functionality
    • Act! Office Add-Ins support 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office 2019
  • SQL 2019
    • Deploy pre-packaged SQL 2019 automatically for new installs
    • Upgrade to SQL 2019 upon install of Act! v24 if the supported version of SQL is not detected(SQL 2014 R2)
    • Benefit from the recent SQL security, performance and scalability enhancements

Act! v24 – The first 64-bit version of Act! is here!

Posted on by Jean McCandlish
Act! v24 64 bit compatible

The 64-bit version of Act! has finally arrived! Act! v24 delivers turbocharged performance via a 64-bit native architecture. There is plenty to talk about in this release so continue to check our posts as we dive into its capabilities. Today we will start with the major accomplishment of this release-the move to the 64-bit architecture. Act! v24 capitalizes on the inherent benefits of 64-bit hardware and operating systems. This allows it to gain full access to all available system memory resulting in superior speed, performance and scalability. Now you can multi-task, perform high-load functions, and support large files and data sets without memory issues. Act! v24 allows access to virtually unlimited RAM with a 64-bit native application. This compares to just 4 GB with the older 32-bit application.

64-bit is all about performance.

  • Memory Access
    • Access 17,000,000,000+GB of RAM with a 64-bit native application vs. 4GB with a 32-bit application
  • Multi-Tasking
    • Run multiple applications concurrently without system lag or out-of-memory issues
  • Speed & Performance
    • Enjoy superior speed during high-load functions and support for large files and data sets
  • Scalability
    • Run multiple concurrent 3rd party add-ons optimally and support large or growing implementations
  • Security
    • Leverage the inherent security benefits of 64-bit hardware and operating systems

Act! v23 Update 5 fixes Mail Merges stuck in Outlook drafts

Posted on by Jean McCandlish
Act! Version 23 Updates

Sunshine back in the Act! world. For many of our users a Microsoft Windows update unexpectedly caused their mail merge emails sent from their Act! v23 desktops to get stuck in the Outlook draft folder. Act! has released Act! v23 Update 5 to fix this issue. After this update Outlook sends email mail merges as normal. We highly recommend anyone coming across this issue apply the update to restore their system to normal. This update is not schema breaking so can function in a mixed environment with others on different patch levels. Please let us know if you need any assistance deploying the fix.

Act! Obsolescence Policy

Posted on by Jean McCandlish
Act! Obsolescence Policy

Act! like many vendors implements a policy whereby they support the current release of the product and specific older releases up to a certain date. When a release becomes unsupported, the products are no longer eligible for service packs, hotfixes, or compatibility updates. ASDS as a vendor can provide support on older versions of Act!, but sometimes a workaround cannot be developed without the manufacturer’s support. The dates below are the published upcoming Act! obsolescence policy dates. Products not listed here are already obsolete.

Act! Growth Suite v22, Act! Premium v22Through 3/31/22
Act! Growth Suite v21, Act! Premium v21Through 11/30/21
Act! Pro v21, Act! Pro v22Through 11/30/21
Act! v20 productsThrough 11/30/20
Act! Obsolescence Policy Dates

If you are running anything older than Act! v21, your software is obsolete and has already been locked at the last revision of that software. You can no longer get support from Act! In real terms this means your software is vulnerable from a security standpoint. When software is locked, you no longer receive the updates necessary to keep it performing with other related software. In the Act! world this mean Windows, Outlook, and GoogleTM.

It is time to consider an Act! subscription plan to keep you up to date and in step with other software applications. Act! Subscription plans include free updates as long as your subscription is active.

The bottom line is that by staying on an old release to save money, you are putting your company at risk. Both security risk from hackers as well as taking the risk of having access to your data and functions interrupted. Don’t be caught trying to restore your applications functionality.

Meanwhile, If you run into an issue on an older product, please check with us to see if we can help – we have been supporting Act! for over 30 years!