Citing the economy, tight credit and "market circumstances beyond our control," MIS Group, a Dallas-based solution provider and Sage's largest channel partner for the past two years, has suddenly shut down.
A notice on the company's Web site, dated July 6, says that effective immediately the company, formally Management Information Services, would cease all business operations.
"As a result of the current economic crisis, the lack of available credit and market circumstances beyond our control, we unfortunately are not able to be viable as a business and continue to service our customers," said CEO Robert Muir in a statement. "Although the company has attempted to manage and restructure itself to remain solvent, regrettably after considering all available alternatives, the company determined this as the only course of action."
The company's main number at its headquarters plays a recording saying the company "regrets it's no longer able to conduct ongoing business operations" and refers callers to the Web site. The Web site directs customers to call Sage support at 866-996-7243.
The online statement said MIS' senior secured lender, which it did not identify, will "assume control and responsibility over the assets of the company."
MIS Group was a major Sage partner, reselling the vendor's MAS 90 ERP, MAS 200 ERP, MAS 500 ERP, SageCRM, SalesLogix, Abra HRMS, Timberline Office and other applications. The company served customers throughout the Central and Western U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico, and had offices in Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Denver.
In mid-May at Sage's annual Insights channel partner conference in Nashville, Tenn., MIS Group, for the second year in a row, was named Sage's overall top business partner in North America for achieving the highest total sales of Sage products in 2008. Muir and Greg Boyd, MIS Group president, joined Sage executives Jodi Uecker-Rust and Doug Meyer onstage for the award.
One Sage channel partner who asked for anonymity said news of MIS Group's closing has set off a mad scramble among Sage's other VARs for MIS group's customers.
Dennis Frahmann, Sage vice president of marketing, said the company was looking into what role Sage might play in supporting MIS Group's customers and assigning them to other Sage channel partners. But those plans were still under development Monday afternoon.
