Archive for the ‘Sage’ Category
5 Reasons MAS90 Quarterly Product Updates Were A Mistake
Sage 100 ERP (Formerly MAS 90 and 200) Product Updates issued quarterly have, in my opinion, been a failure.
Time to admit it. Bring back an annual upgrade and monthly service packs.
First some background.
Sage began issuing quarterly product updates with version 4.30 4.4 of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200.
These updates contained feature enhancements (mostly folded in Extended Solutions which Sage used to sell but had since open sourced). Rather than increasing the version number the product update would add a corresponding Product Update version to the end of the customer’s version – for example Version 4.4 with Product Update 1 was 4.4.0.1.
Prior to version 4.30 4.4 Sage issued monthly bundles of program patches that they labeled as Service Updates. These were self-installable bundles of fixes which in turn had replaced the old method of requiring customers (or more likely their VARS) to install fixes individually.
The Service Updates rarely included additional features and instead focussed on stabilizing the existing code.
In theory these Product Updates would make customers happier as they introduced new features in each release and replaced the prior practice of annual upgrades and monthly service packs (primarily bug fixes).
Unfortunately from my vantage point quarterly Product Updates didn’t make most users’ live’s easier.
Is SugarCRM An Early Warning Sign of Sage Channel Challenge?
SugarCRM is an open sourced open-source, web-based CRM solution, which is advertised as being able to run in the Cloud or on-site.
Recently I’m noticing more top tier Sage VARS advertising SugarCRM – most recently Blytheco (Sage’s North America Partner Of The Year) , then Faye Business Solutions Group and Brainsell.
Faye and Brainsell are listed on SugarCRM’s partner site. Blytheco is not so it’s possible they’re just running a series of educational sessions though it’s difficult to believe they’re adverting a competitor for what’s supposed to be one of Sage’s bread and butter markets (CRM).
Sage Partner Faye Business Solutions Group Joins Intacct Partner Program
Faye Business Systems Group (FBSG) a Southern California technology consulting firm announced today that they’ve joined the Intacct Business Partner Program. Intacct is a leading provider of cloud financial management and accounting software
In a press release dated January 23, 2011 , FBSG CEO David Faye indicates that FBSG will be working on further developing an integration between Intacct and SugarCRM as well as other potential custom solutions.
Faye Business Solutions Group, Inc was formed in January 2010 as a spinoff from Southern California IT consulting firm Faye, Pollack & Associates and in addition to Intacct their website indicates support for Sage ERP MAS 90 , 200, and SugarCRM.
Interestingly the first paragraph of the press release talks about Intacct as being “significantly more partner friendly” which seems to take direct aim at the wide ranging changes Sage continues to make to their partner program including increased certifications, reductions to partner support and marketing of Sage support directly to customers.
The Intacct Business partner channel is run by former Sage Channel Chief Taylor Macdonald who has made some strides in recruiting Sage partners - most visible so far being Sage Non-Profit specialists JMT Consulting who is noted as being a $4.9 million var on the Accounting Technology VAR 100 for 2011 and Canada’s $ 5.6 million Equation Technologies who represents Sage Accpac and was ranked # 63 on the 2011 VAR 100.
Sage Reduces Subscription Plan Options For Sage 100, 300 and 500 Customers
In a move that might surprise some of their business partners who haven’t been paying attention and noticed that Sage’s compensation for maintenance plan subscriptions is amongst the highest of any competitor, Sage is expected to announce today that all Sage 100, 300 and 500 customers will have access to 5 support cases as their plans renew beginning with those expiring on or after March 1, 2012.
Several partners have contacted me to confirm they’ve been informed that Sage will announce elimination of the Bronze plan for Sage 100, 300, 500 ERP (Formerly Sage ERP MAS90, 200, Accpac and 500) which previously allowed for only maintenance upgrades and no calls to Sage support. Instead of calling Sage support most customers relied on their local Sage Business Partner for support..
Sage Mid-Market Partner group ask that Sage Inc. rescind tier calculation
A number of Sage partners have reported receiving an email asking that they sign a petition to ” ask that Sage Inc. reconsider the proposed Tier Level Calculation changes to be effective on April 1, 2012″.
The petition appears to have been created by Peter Ribeiro of Impac Solutions Toronto, Ontario – a Sage Accpac and Microsoft reseller.
The petition largely asks that Sage rescind their recent plans to measure the tier move-down calculation quarterly instead of bi-annually as was previously done. Some believe that this calculation may result in more VARS losing some tier commission.
Whether this approach will be successful remains to be seen. Increasingly Sage seems to be guided by the overseas corporate parent and is facing a huge branding project expected to take the better part of the next year.
The question of more tier is only one small part of what most VARS should be worrying about. The more pressing problem is fast movement of technology and the shifting tastes of the technical buyer.
Sage Earnings 2011 Reveal Strengths and Weaknesses In A Challenged Market
Sage reported earnings today. From what I can see the overall activity was impressive — especially compared to a market where companies like Microsoft are out selling ERP software at an 85% discount.
The recurring bright spots in the US appear to be payments where Sage is reporting 15% growth (over 40% growth in cross selling payments into existing customers).
Selling software and related services is the low spot for North America– 3% contraction.
After touting the opportunities for Healthcare in their 2010 annual report ( well positioned to take advantage of stimulus) – Sage announces “Sage Healthcare business in North America is no longer core to our strategy”. Of course Sage Healthcare sale was completed in November 2011.
Is Sage Bouncing You Around?
Are you one of the Sage partners who received an email today from Accountmate?
The title of the email “Is SAGE Bouncing Your Around?” asks several questions – and implies that Sage doesn’t treat their resellers with respect.
I’m not sure I see where Sage is disrespecting their resellers though I guess the constantly moving tier commission structure is what Accountmate is implying is disrespectful.
I have a different opinion.
I couldn’t care less if Sage (or any publisher) paid me 100% commission on a sale. The margin on software or maintenance is only covering most reseller’s costs.
What do I care about?
Sage Repeats The Message: All Partners Matter
Last year I was surprised to learn that Sage sent several representatives to Barbados to host a partner conference.
After all, if the perpetual grumblings of partners are to be believed, big software companies only care about their largest partners.
Sage is working hard to dispel that myth. And they’re doing it largely by actions as opposed to photo opportunities and press releases.
As I noted in a post last year when I wrote about the Barbados conference held in December 2010:
Sage has about 6 partners in Barbados. They have 250 customers. Yet Sage made a trip during the busy December time to meet with customers and partners to discuss the products and how they can improve.
Sage just made another trip. This time the destination was Jamaica. The topic was again partner awards plus classroom training education. Read the rest of this entry »
Sage All Hand Partner Meeting Hints At New Pricing Model Within 12 Months
Sage North America CEO Pascal Houillon skippered an all-hands partner meeting Friday afternoon where all Sage North American partners were urged to attend.
The purpose of the call :
” to connect with our business partners and it is a result of my desire to communicate more with you. I look forward to speaking with you during this session. Please make every effort to attend.”.
The group call started around 1:05 PM and clocked out almost exactly at 1:15 pm ET making this possibly the shortest Sage all hands conference call that many had attended.
One commenter on the Sage LinkedIn group noted publicly “It ended so abruptly that I had a picture in my head of Pascal staring at a pile of note cards he had just dropped and ending the call in a panic”.
Still, by my count I’ve already met (twice) and heard from the new Sage CEO at least a half dozen times more than the prior CEO who was widely regarded by partners as distant and impersonal.
Whether it takes an hour or 15 minutes to deliver a message – what should matter is the message and not the time spent in idle chitchat.
So what was the message?
Sage Announces Joe Langner as EVP Midmarket and CRM Solutions
Sage have just announced the hiring of Joe Langner as the EVP of Midmarket and CRM Solutions. Joe comes to Sage from Ellie Mae where he more recently was EVP Sales and Client Services, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Sales Officer.
The hiring appears to be a consolidated replacement for SVP Midmarket Solutions Laurie Schultz who departed in July 2011 to accept a CEO postion at ACL Services LTD and former EVP Joe Bergera, head of CRM for Sage North America, who departed Sage in March 2011 for CCH. is for a new role on Pascal Houillon’s executive team that has responsibility across both CRM and ERP. Dan Wilzoch, heading up CRM, will report to Joe as will the eventual ERP leader.
Full press release below.
