Sage is one of the largest ERP vendors in the market, competing with the likes of Microsoft and SAP. Today, Sage has over 11,000 employees with customers in more than 20 countries. Its offerings span across HR, payroll, assets, enterprise systems, and more to help businesses grow. In this episode of The ERP Advisor, Shawn Windle provided a systematic run-through of Sage and how it could help your business.
Sage
Sage, a forefather of ERP software solutions, has been providing value to users since its founding in 1981 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Sage’s original purpose was to develop estimating and accounting software for small businesses, but the enterprise has developed far beyond this scope, especially after the launch of Sage Software in 1984. The brand expanded its offering when it acquired Intacct in July of 2017.
Around a quarter of the employees in the United Kingdom earn their living working for Sage, demonstrating the significant scope they have in the market. With over 6.1 million customers across all of its products, it is clear to see the impact Sage has in the United Kingdom and around the world as one of the largest ERP companies in the world.
What Does Sage Sell?
Sage is a provider of Enterprise Resource Planning software for small to mid-sized businesses. Their main software focus is accounting but also includes CRM, MRP, ERP, and Fixed Assets options across their many applications.
Sage solutions are specialized for distributors, businesses needing core financials and financial management, and manufacturers. Sage solutions automate tedious tasks to increase business efficiency.
Intacct is Sage’s first pure Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), multi-tenant solution. The acquisition of Intacct is heavily aligned with the entire market’s shift to the Cloud. This addition allowed Sage to provide a more mobile and scalable solution than any of its previous solutions.
Sage X3 is Sage’s other primary ERP solution designed to put an organization’s entire business operations on a single enterprise management solution and database. Sage X3’s primary areas of focus lie in production, supply chain, and financial management. X3’s feature functionality expands to customer service and financial reporting across planning, manufacturing, quality control, and more.
Sage 50cloud is Sage’s flagship small business platform, providing an ERP platform alternative to QuickBooks. Sage 50 features accounting and financial functionality, enabling users to reduce administrative tasks and commit more time to value-added tasks.
Sage’s extensive line of legacy products boasts many users that still rely on Sage for platform support. Sage has committed time and effort for easy integration of solutions like Sage 90 (recently rebranded as Sage 100cloud), Sage 200, and Sage 300 to the cloud; however, obstacles are met as a result of these solutions not being built for the cloud. In all, many of these legacy solutions offer a multitude of application versions, with Sage 300 alone providing 19 variations.
Sage 500 is another staple Sage legacy product that is no longer implemented by Sage but is still supported. Sage 500 provides specific feature functionality for manufacturing, distribution and supply chain, and accounting and finance operations. Existing Sage 500 customers are provided with support through Sage Business Care for upgrades, support, training, and more. Through advancements in Sage 500, users can integrate additional applications to further advance operational needs.
What Kind of Partnership Ecosystem Does Sage Have?
Sage has a unique partnership ecosystem that includes Accountants, Bookkeepers, and Educators in addition to typical developers, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and Resellers.
Over the years, Sage has established a network of Bookkeepers and Accountants through their partnerships with AICPA and CPA.com to provide users with access to outsourced accounting services. Sage’s Intacct network boasts almost one-third of the top 100 accounting firms in the United States. Accounting professionals who are well-versed in Sage Intacct provide extra value to businesses because they can provide staff and software for running their clients’ financials and accounting functions.
Sage’s network of developers and ISVs provide solutions in the market outside of Sage’s direct product development and sell their solutions as modules for the Sage platform. This brings richer and more robust functionality to the Sage channel. We also see resellers acquire solutions to be used on the Sage platform that are not developed by Sage themselves.
Why Does Sage Win Over Their Competitors?
Sage Intacct is a clear winner when it comes to organizations that need a strong accounting system. Early on, Sage narrowed their focus to accounting offerings and has not strayed from that mission for 40 years. They are consistently working to improve these systems and offer the best product they can to users, making them a standout to many businesses looking to get into the world of ERP.
Another major reason Sage wins deals is because of its specific solutions, especially in the Nonprofit sector. Nonprofit specialization attracts users who need more from their software than just a generic Cloud or on-premises solution. Sage Business Cloud offers solutions to meet the needs of larger-scale nonprofits through global human resource tools and instant visibility across the company.
Sage X3 brings Sage to the forefront of competitive ERP deals for its ease of use, scalability, and cost-effectivity without sacrificing feature functionality. X3’s capabilities in financial, production, and supply chain management enable the software to grow as the business grows, reducing future friction and disruption. Potential users gravitate towards these Sage X3 features over other products on the market. X3 excels with meeting process manufacturer’s needs.
Conclusion
Sage’s offerings vary greatly in terms of functionality, price, and partnerships, depending on the solution your business is geared toward. From production management to accounting software solutions, Sage provides substantial value to businesses utilizing and implementing its systems.