Upgrade from Sage 50 Accounts Professional version 2018 and/or Sage 50 Batch Controller to SaaS and save on subscription costs
If you are running Sage 50 Accounts on version 2018 or below you will be keen to upgrade to a cloud-based SaaS licensing that enables you to work from anywhere with an internet connection. You need to ensure your accounting application remains compatible with latest versions of Office 365 and is MTD compliant. You will want to be able to access your central solution from different devices (phone, laptop, tablet).
Home working is going to remain part of our foreseeable future and the simplicity of having built in making tax digital functionality will make your Vat process more straightforward than using a bridging API.
The need for businesses to transform the platforms they use to run their businesses is now greater than ever.
Gartner summarised this very well in a recent post from their Smarter with Gartner blog.
“The value of digital channels, products and operations is immediately obvious to companies everywhere right now. This is a wake-up call for organizations that have placed too much focus on daily operational needs at the expense of investing in digital business and long-term resilience. Businesses that can shift technology capacity and investments to digital platforms will mitigate the impact of the outbreak and keep their companies running smoothly now, and over the long term.”
But is moving to Sage 50Cloud accounts professional the obvious choice?
If you require two users or less on your current applicatons then Sage 50Cloud accounts is not the obvious choice based on cost alone and you may wish to read further especially if you have requirements for improved inventory control, assembly orders and CRM.
Sage 50Cloud Accounts Professional
Sage 50Cloud accounts professional licensing is clear. A single user is £132.50 and 2 – 5 users is £139.50. The price bands increase with user numbers.
Sage 50cloud accounts professional is an accounting tool. Whilst there is some provision for stock control and BOM it is very basic and for many businesses it is not sufficient to support their operational needs. Many businesses in this situation will be using an external tool or multiple tools to create Bill of Materials, account for stock and to track work in progress.
Sage 50cloud accounts does not offer contact management and businesses are commonly using a standalone product to record their customer and supplier relationships. Without any interaction with Sage 50Cloud accounts
Is this you?
I have Sage 50 Accounts Professional with two users and am running version 2018 or below.
Example
Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials offers full accounts, comprehensive reporting, contact management, BOM and assembly orders.
Dynamics 365 Business Central Subscription cost from Qi to include support for two users £132 plus VAT
Sage 50Cloud Accounts Professional cost per month to include support £139.50 plus VAT.
You will be saving money every month even if you only need Accounts Professional functionality
I have Sage 50 Accounts Professional version 2018 or below with two users and am running Sage Batch Controller with two users or less.
Example
Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials offers full accounts, comprehensive reporting, contact management, BOM and assembly orders.
Dynamics 365 Business Central Subscription cost from Qi to include support for two Essentials users is £132 plus VAT
Sage 50Cloud Accounts Professional cost per month to include support for two users is £139.50 plus VAT.
You will be saving money on subscription every month as well as saving money on any support you may have in place with a Sage Business Partner for Sage Batch Controller. You will be able to move both your accounting and operational software to a single database SaaS solution which is not possible if you are using Sage 50 Batch or Manufacturing Controller. The inclusion of contact management with Dynamics Business Central Essentials means that you no longer must rely on any external spreadsheets or alternative CRM to communicate with your customers, track enquiries and build your pipeline.
I have Sage Accounts Professional with two users or less but want a central CRM to support my sales activity
Example
Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials offers full accounts, comprehensive reporting, contact management, BOM and assembly orders.
Dynamics 365 Business Central Subscription cost from Qi to include support for two users £132 plus VAT
Sage 50Cloud Accounts Professional cost per month to include support £139.50 plus VAT.
You will be saving money every month even if you only need Accounts Professional functionality to support your business operationally. Dynamics 365 Business Central contact management works from the same database as your accounts and will allow you to communicate with your customers seamlessly, improving customer service and having a greater control over your pipeline.
What will Dynamics Business Central Essentials do for your business?
- Financial Management– Includes the following features and more: general ledger, budgets, fixed assets, cash flow forecast, multiple currencies, bank reconciliation, allocations, account schedules, check writing, cost accounting, inter-company postings
- Artificial Intelligence– Cash flow forecast, inventory forecast, sales forecast, image recognition, late payment prediction
- Customer Relationship Management– Contact management and classification, opportunity management, relationship management, task management, business inbox for Outlook, email logging, interaction/document management, campaign management, and pricing
- E-Services – Document exchange service, document capture and management, bank feeds (U.S., Canada, and U.K.), Microsoft Pay, and more
- Human Resources Management – Basic HR
- Project Management –Resources, job quotes, capacity management, project management jobs, timesheet, multiple costs
- Supply Chain Management – Includes the following features and more: inventory, payables, receivables, calendars, demand forecasting, drop shipments, item attributes, item tracking, purchase invoicing, purchase order management, requisition management, sales invoicing and discounts, sales order management, Sales tax/VAT
- Assembly Management– To support companies that supply products to their customers by combining components in simple processes without the need of manufacturing functionality (Business Central includes features to assemble items that integrate with existing features, such as sales, planning, reservations, and warehousing.)
- Warehouse and Inventory Management– Automated data capture system, bin set-up, internal picks and put aways, pick, warehouse management systems, warehouse receipt, warehouse shipment
- Other functionality– Analysis reports, change log, job queue, user tasks, notifications (on-premises), embedded Power BI, reason codes, Word and document reporting, workflow, unlimited companies, extended text, user
Thought for the Day
If you are moving to any SaaS solution it will require a subscription payment. It must make sense to review which subscription model you move to. Moving to Sage 50 Cloud subscription from your owned perpetual licence is buying again that which you already own. Take a look at what moving to an alternative solution would provide your business by way of additional functionality to help your business succeed and grow in the current climate. Remember, if you work with the right partner all your Sage data will brought across to your new system fully in-tact.
Call Qi for a discussion and to arrange an online overview of Dynamics 365 Business Central