Since you are looking for information and data on ERPs, you have surely understood that Sage and its solutions are among the publishers to watch closely.
Indeed, all Sage software benefits from a reputation
linked to its performance and reliability. Customer feedback attests to this
and the various management solutions offered make it possible to adapt to regulations
and business requirements.
The English publishers do not offer hundreds of
products. In order to optimize and boost the activity of a business, here is
the list of Sage software to consider for the management of SMEs and ETIs:
- ERP Sage X3
- Wise 100
- Sage FRP 1000
No exact science or ranking in order of preference.
Just keys to understanding to navigate among the different Sage solutions.
Why is Sage worth it?
There is extensive literature on the web as well as on
this website about the Sage editor. So we might as well be synthetic here and
only talk about the essentials.
From start-ups to international companies, Sage now
has more than 13,000 employees and 3 million customers in more than 23
countries.
Beyond these figures that could be described as
"gargantuan", the strength of Sage is to adapt and offer management
solutions to both VSEs and large groups.
The company is, today, an actor in the development of
all organizations whatever their size.
For Flow Line, as a historical integrator partner and
certified 2021 "Silver Partner Solutions Large Companies", the
Newscastle company stands out on 2 main points:
- ERP solutions proven, tested and retested by customers from which and on the basis of the standard (in particular for Sage X3) business modules and functionalities have been developed
- Management solutions available in the cloud offering more mobility, scalability and better control of your investment
Before detailing the list, the questions to ask
yourself to choose an ERP
Obviously, the needs in terms of management vary from
one company to another and all the solutions that you will study will not fill
the same boxes.
With a few simple questions, you will be able to apply
the right filters to advance your ERP choice process, including among Sage
software:
- What objectives are associated with the management software?
- What functional scope to achieve your objectives?
- What approach should be chosen to support the business strategy?
- Which solutions are suitable for my business profile?
- Should I opt for business software over a generalist solution? …
A non-exhaustive list and 5 simple but terribly
important questions to guide you in your research and make an objective
comparison between several solutions.
ERP Sage X3, Sage 100 and Sage FRP1000 solutions
ERP Sage X3
Let's start with the darling child! Sage X3 is THE
business management solution par excellence, the ERP by definition for SMEs and
large companies!
Cock-a-doodle Doo !!!! Historically, this ERP was
created thanks to Adonix, a French company that designed and developed the
first versions under the name Adonix X3. The solution became Sage X3 following
the acquisition of this company by the English publisher.
Since this takeover in the mid-2000s, Sage has been
able to transform this very good ERP software into a real heavyweight. The
solution covers all business management needs.
Good to know, Sage carries out regular updates of its
product. The latest version is V12 and the publisher has a long-term roadmap.
Sage X3 is probably one of the most “unifying” ERPs on
the market. It is a completely integrated offer that concerns all the company's
departments and promotes their collaboration.
Note that the X3 software, thanks to APIs, can connect
to many other management solutions in extended ERP mode.
This ERP is also intended to be open. It is, in fact,
possible to customize the solution to many trades and sectors of activity:
- LifeSciences: Pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical business ERP, etc.
- Service activity: subscription, usage-based billing, rental, fleet management, etc.
- Distribution: retail, textiles, international trade, etc.
- industrial case
As some say: a strong, customizable spine.
To sum up, whatever your integration project (or even
Sage software to be more precise), you should consider Sage X3 as one of the
solutions to study very carefully. Moreover, Group Teknowlogy, one of the
references in ERP analysis, uses very positive terms about this solution: “Sage
X3, No. 1 for user interface and ROI”.
Wise 100
Who says ges tion of ETIs and SMEs … says Sage 100.
This solution offers a range of around thirty modules according to the needs of
each.
Thanks to this modularity (there is its strength),
whose heart is based on finance, Sage 100 makes it possible to cover all the
needs of companies with more than 10 employees:
- Accounting
- Business management
- Means of payment
- Immobility
- Treasury …
The solution perfectly meets the needs of the
thousands of companies that have selected it.
Unlike ERP by nature, Sage 100Cloud does not offer to
manage production strictly speaking. Nevertheless, this possibility exists. You
will have to discuss this with the publisher and/or the integrator concerned.
Another important point, Sage 100 does not allow
specific developments related to your activity and profession. Think carefully
about this aspect for your final choice.
Question price, that of Sage 100 depends (like many
ERP management software) on the number of users correlated to the number of
modules selected.
Sage FRP1000
Like Sage 100 whose heart beats for finance, Sage
FRP1000 is a purely financial suite. This solution is mainly aimed at large
groups or holding companies, where interactions between subsidiaries and
companies are important, unlike line 100, which treats each company in a group
independently.
Important point in the context of this article, the
profile of the 1000 line (purely focused on finance) makes it difficult to
compare with the 2 solutions mentioned above since it does not allow you to
manage a company as a whole. This is why we have not included it in our
comparator.
If we decide to look only at the finance and
accounting aspects, the performance of Sage FRP1000 is equivalent to that of
Sage X3. In this solution, we will find all the useful and relevant
functionalities for:
- Accounting management: accounting, fixed assets, expense reports, etc.
- Financial flow management: cash flow, bank reconciliation, accounting statements and tax statements
- Management of operational processes: purchases, sales and stocks
Unlike ERP X3, the FRP1000 suite does not allow for
customization or business-specific development. However, it also offers many
complementary solutions to strengthen its capacities. We are thinking in
particular of Sage Dematerialization or Sage Financial Reporting for the
analytical Business part.
What to remember from this Sage comparison
By reading these few lines of presentation for each
Sage software, you have surely noticed that Sage X3 wants to be the only ERP.
Why that ? Sage FRP1000 focuses only on the finance
part and Sage 100 is a modular software suite to choose according to the
desired scope.
Each of these solutions brings value and offers many
advantages. But, in both cases, we are moving away from the definition of ERP
with a single database and an interface to manage everything.
To better understand and map Sage software, it is
important to have this nuance in mind from the start of research and
comparisons.
As an X3 integrator, you will easily understand our
preference for the ERP on the list.
Which Sage solution should I go for?
Each solution has its own characteristics both
functionally and technically.
Concretely, the technical architectures between Sage
X3 and Sage 100 are completely distant from each other and will not meet your
criteria for selecting a solution in the same way.
Their common point that we keep highlighting here:
effectiveness proven by customer feedback.
To roughly summarize:
- Sage X3: for a global management approach with strong business and/or international issues
- Sage 100: for a modular or “brick by brick” approach in a single-company context
- Sage FRP1000: for a finance-centric approach for groups
Of course, do not hesitate to contact us for any
request for additional information.