Alternative to Sage Accounts Sage Drive

Are you looking for an alternative to Sage because of infrastructure reasons? Then you’re definitely in the right place.  By infrastructure this means the computers and networks used to access and share Sage and its data.

Sage has been around a long time and has hundreds of thousands of users, and like any large software company it will have its detractors, just like Microsoft or Google.   Often there are posts from people looking for alternatives to Sage, and the reasons vary:  For some it is costs, others it will be the complexity, or user experience, for some it is the hassles of upgrading.

Good foundations

One common reason people look for an alternative to Sage is the infrastructure.  Where it runs, how it is shared, and more recently how it compares with other “Cloud” based accounting packages.   This is where we have an interest; so let’s explore what people want from their Sage infrastructure.  In no particular order these are the things people need from the IT infrastructure supporting Sage:

• Ability for multiple users to share and work on the same Sage databases.
• Security of the databases against loss or corruption, i.e. backups and stability.
• Ability to access Sage from multiple branches or sites.
• Ability to share Sage with accountants or bookkeepers.
• Performance and reliability – improving/maintaining productivity.
• Ease of upgrading.

Increasingly people are also looking for:

• Access to Sage when working from home, from another site or hotel.
• Access to Sage on Macs & iPads or other devices.

At the end of the day Sage is a good product, it wouldn’t be in the position it is today if it wasn’t.  So if it is infrastructure requirements or problems that are tempting you to throw the baby out with the bathwater and consider alternatives to Sage then consider looking at alternatives to the infrastructure.

Sage in the cloud

Cloud has become the new buzz word for software applications, many of the alternatives snapping at Sage’s heels are solely cloud based.   Sage is also utilising the cloud with the introduction of Sage Drive but the feedback we have had about Sage Drive has been mixed.   The alternative is also cloud based but instead of being a web based application or a synchronisation tool it is the full Sage application (any version) running completely in the Cloud with nothing of Sage running on the PCs (or Macs).

The solution is known as Hosted Remote Desktops or simply Hosted Desktops or Hosted Applications.   The Sage desktop application and the database all run on hosted servers and the users connect to it over the Internet using a simple remote desktop client application available for any device.   Multiple users can all logon at once, as many as your Sage licence permits.   The data will be backed up and there will usually be multiple levels of redundancy so you can expect a guaranteed uptime of over 99% from the provider.  Your Office Anywhere have an SLA of 99.5%

As people access the Sage application over the internet they can run it from anywhere, and as everything is running on the server if the Internet connection is a bit dodgy there’s no risk of the database being corrupted if it cuts out – something that is a risk with Sage Drive – so you can use it on the train without worry.

There is only one copy of Sage installed on the remote desktop server so upgrading is really easy, you just do it once.   The hosted desktop solution will work for any version/edition of Sage and any number of users.   It can easily scale for more advanced versions such as Sage 200 that require SQL databases.  You can install other applications alongside Sage such as Microsoft Office or any Sage plug-ins/add-ons, or connect to partners using EDI systems.  You can easily print or email from the server as well as copying data such as Sage backups to your PC if needed.

So if you like Sage and the only reason you’re looking for an alternative to Sage is the computer hardware needed to run it how you want to run it then this may be the ideal solution.

However, if you do genuinely want an alternative to Sage we do work with other software vendors who supply advanced accounting software, just let us know and we’ll put you in touch.

Why not get in touch with us today

Your Office Anywhere have been hosting Sage for their customers for over 10 years, so if you would like to find out a bit more about how this system works, what the costs are, how secure it is or even try it out for yourself for free just get in touch via our contact page or call us on 01282 500 318.

Did you know hosting your copy of Sage with Your Office Anywhere will cost just £34.00 per user per month?   See our pricing page for more details.