Page 3 of 4
Others seem ready to make the transition. "Look, we love [Sage] 500," said Alex Solomon, a principal with New York-based Net@Work, one of Sage's biggest channel partners. The solution provider has some 150 customers on Sage 500 ERP, as well as some 650 on Sage ERP Pro, which is also likely to be phased out in the near future. But, Solomon said his company has already developed migration tools and practices for Sage 500 ERP and is moving customers to Sage ERP X3 and other products.
Xkzero is also in the early stages of developing its Route Sell Solutions applications for distributors, which run on Sage 100 and 500 ERP, for Sage ERP X3. "Sage's focus is aligned with the path we're already on, and for that we feel fortunate," Xkzero’s Ziliak said.
"We're making a push toward [Sage ERP] X3. It's very clear that's the road map of the future for Sage," said Bill Harris, co-founder of MicroAccounting Solutions, a Richardson, Texas-based Sage partner that's in the process of merging with Xkzero. But, he noted that his company has a wealth of experience with Sage 500 ERP, and building up that same knowledge base with other products will take time.
RKL eSolutions added Sage ERP X3 to its product portfolio about two years ago, Noll said, and the company already has a number of customers on that application set and "a nice pipeline of prospects" as well.
Miami-based ADSS Global resells the Sage 300 ERP applications, previously known as Accpac, as well as Sage CRM and Sage HRMS products -- but not Sage 500. So, President Peter Kaufman feels like he dodged a bullet. "I'm sure it's kind of nerve-wracking if you're in the Sage 500 business," said Kaufman, who as a member of Sage's Business Partner Advisory Council, had some inkling the changes were coming. "But, in this industry, you've got to change."
In addition to discontinuing some products, Sage is designating certain categories of products as "core," including its accounting, ERP, payroll and related applications that often work together.
Other products, largely those that are more specialized or operate on a standalone basis, are being designated "non-core" and will be managed independently. Sage said both core and non-core products would remain key parts of the vendor's overall portfolio.
NEXT: The 'Core' Vs. 'Non-Core' Debate
<< Previous
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
Next >>
