Feature deprecation process and policy

Feature deprecation is an inevitable part of the Secure Code Warrior development lifecycle, as is the case with all things in software. The ongoing innovation that Secure Code Warrior provides its customers sometimes requires replacing outdated functionality with new features that better meet customer needs. When a feature is retired, it may or may not be replaced with newer functionality. Earning and keeping your trust is critical, and Secure Code Warrior wants to respect that through advanced and transparent communications. Secure Code Warrior understands the impact that change can cause for your organization and therefore feature retirement is not taken lightly.

Key terms

Deprecated

When a feature has a status of deprecated, that means it is nearing the end of its support and will soon be retired, or sunset, from the Secure Code Warrior learning platform. When deprecated, the feature continues to be functional and supported until its retirement date although enhancement requests are not prioritized.

New customers and accounts may not receive access to the deprecated features where applicable, although existing customers have continued access until its final retirement date. Existing customers will be informed and encouraged to begin planning to accommodate the change.

Note: Any features or functionality of the Products or Services in 'Preview' are excluded from this Deprecation Policy and may be retired without notice.

Retired

Once a feature has reached the end of the deprecation stage, it is considered retired and is no longer available or supported for production use on the SCW learning platform. Depending on the nature of the feature, the functionality may be removed entirely or existing customer accounts may be migrated automatically to the use of new functionality. If alternative functionality is provided to replace the retired feature, users have the opportunity to leverage newer functionality at their convenience prior to the retirement date.

Why does Secure Code Warrior deprecate features?

Innovation is at the center of everything we do at Secure Code Warrior. With ongoing improvements to the Secure Code Warrior Learning Platform, sometimes that means retiring functionality that is outdated or that provides low value to a limited number of customers.

There are several motivations for why we deprecate features:

• Secure Code Warriors's product and engineering team continuously investigates and implements better ways of doing things. With a focus on innovation and our customers' evolving needs, some language:frameworks, and technologies on our platform may no longer serve customers in the most effective way possible. Additionally, third-party software leveraged by the Secure Code Warrior learning platform may no longer support certain functionality.
• Secure Code Warrior strictly adheres to industry standards for security and legal compliance. As a result, Secure Code Warrior may be required to deprecate or retire functionality that does not meet these standards.
  
  

How much advance notice will I receive?

Barring any emergencies or insubstantial changes, we start communicating feature deprecation no later than 3 months prior to its retirement date. Advance notice may be extended for higher impact features.

There are situations in which the deprecation timeline may be accelerated due to special circumstances. In all cases, we provide as much advance notification as possible. These situations include:

• Essential changes, such as those needed to maintain the integrity and stability of the platform for all customers.
• When third-party software leveraged by Secure Code Warrior is changed or no longer available.
• When changes are needed to protect data security and comply with legal requirements.
  
  

How does Secure Code Warrior communicate feature deprecation?

Secure Code Warrior communicates feature deprecation and announcements to company administrators through a variety of channels to ensure the message gets to impacted customers as early as possible. Communication channels may include (but are not limited to) Secure Code Warrior release notes, in-application platform messaging, Community announcements, blogs or knowledge articles, Training notices, and Customer Success, as appropriate.