Salesforce Shifts Heroku to Sustaining Model: Compliance and Migration Guidance

Salesforce has formally initiated a strategic shift for its Heroku platform-as-a-service (PaaS), transitioning it to a sustaining engineering model effective immediately. This operational change, announced by Senior VP Nitin T. Bhat, prioritizes stability, security, and reliability over new feature development. While Salesforce hasn't established an end-of-life date, the move carries significant compliance and operational implications for current users.

Key Compliance Requirements

• Existing customers retain access to Heroku services and may renew subscriptions without interruption. Salesforce confirms ongoing security patching, infrastructure maintenance, and PostgreSQL database support.
• New enterprise contracts are discontinued immediately. Organizations seeking PaaS solutions must evaluate alternative platforms.
• Development freeze applies to all new Heroku features. Previously planned enhancements won't materialize, including AI-integration capabilities previewed in recent roadmaps.
• Data continuity measures remain unchanged. Data residency rules and backup protocols under Heroku's existing compliance framework continue unchanged.

Compliance Timeline and Migration Planning

Salesforce hasn't published a formal deprecation schedule, creating operational ambiguity. Organizations should:

1. Audit dependencies within 60 days: Catalog all applications, integrations, and data workflows reliant on Heroku infrastructure.
2. Evaluate regulatory exposure by Q3 2026: Assess whether Heroku's frozen feature set meets future compliance requirements (e.g., evolving AI governance standards like the EU AI Act).
3. Initiate migration planning within 90 days for critical workloads. Salesforce recommends Agentforce for AI-centric development, though analysts note significant feature gaps.
4. Maintain contingency budgets: Allocate resources for potential platform migration before Salesforce announces formal termination.

Strategic Context and Analyst Warnings

Salesforce attributes this shift to refocusing investments on "enterprise-grade AI" via Agentforce. However, industry analysts contest the decision's wisdom:

• Michael Warrilow (Independent Analyst): "Exorbitant pricing and Agentforce's promotion effectively killed Heroku. Organizations should expedite migration despite Salesforce's open-ended support window."
• Keith Townsend (CTO Advisor): "Heroku possessed foundational capabilities for AI governance that Agentforce currently lacks. Salesforce may face costly strategic repercussions by undervaluing Heroku's auditability and policy enforcement features."
• Ivan Burazin (CEO, daytona.io): "Abandoning Heroku squanders a proven infrastructure framework precisely when ephemeral AI environments are gaining strategic importance."

Recommended Compliance Actions

1. Document current state: Capture detailed architecture diagrams of Heroku implementations for audit trails.
2. Verify contractual terms: Review SLAs for performance guarantees and exit clauses.
3. Assess alternatives: Evaluate PaaS providers like AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, or Red Hat OpenShift for feature continuity.
4. Prioritize data governance: Confirm encryption standards and access controls remain enforceable during any transition.

Salesforce's announcement underscores the volatility of cloud service lifecycles. While Heroku remains operational indefinitely, proactive compliance planning mitigates regulatory and operational risks inherent in platform deprecation scenarios.