Alternative to Sage: Acumatica Cloud ERP

ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems can revolutionize your business. No more juggling information from tens of different programs and trying to keep everything current.

Your ERP will keep all your information in the same place and make it easily accessible to everyone in your company.

If you’re beginning your ERP journey or considering transitioning from your current system, you need to know your options. Different systems can benefit different businesses.

Sage ERP and Acumatica are excellent ERPs catering to different parts of the market. Thus, they provide solutions that are better suited to some than others.

This article will explore Sage’s pros and cons and why Acumatica may be a better solution for your business.

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Understanding Sage ERP

Sage ERP is a product by the Sage Group plc, often called Sage. They’re a British company with offices in 24 countries. Founded in 1981, Sage is a large and well-established company. They have over 40,000 customers across 150 countries for just one of their programs.

Behind Oracle and SAP, they are the largest supplier of ERP software, as well as the largest supplier to small businesses. They have multiple cloud solutions for businesses to find the best fit based on size and need. These include:

Sage X3
Sage 100cloud
Sage 300cloud
Sage Enterprise Intelligence
Sage Intacct Construction

Sage X3 is their flagship product; the others represent pared-down options for businesses with specific needs.

Pros of Sage

Sage is a consistently well-rated system. It has a few definitive pros that make it an excellent option for businesses.

First, Sage is consistently praised for its UI. While this may seem an essential requirement, it’s surprising how many programs struggle with this. Admittedly, ERPs are complicated systems for complicated tasks. But this highlights how crucial intuitive UI is.

Especially if your business isn’t technology focused and many of your employees aren’t as comfortable with complicated systems, straightforward UI is a must.

The software helps manage all aspects of company operations and can be customized to suit the needs of any industry. In addition, it integrates with other systems to automate tasks, saving time and money.

Another pro is that Sage can integrate with any legacy system, including those from different vendors.

It has a modular design, which means it can be configured to meet specific needs without changing its core functionality.

Cons of Sage ERP

While Sage can still be a good option for your company, some elements limit its usability.

For one, while medium-sized businesses report excellent results, Sage is difficult to use for small companies or startups.

This is for a couple of reasons. First, their customer service has middling reviews, with some reporting they were shunted back and forth between representatives. And this is if you make the extra purchase of a support package.

The support packages on the lower end of the price spectrum have limited support, often with a prescribed number of call-ins.

The other big issue with Sage is its customization. Many businesses reported that some essential services weren’t included out of the box.

Now nearly every ERP is going to require some level of custom coding. It simply comes with the territory. The problem is when an ERP lacks accessible support.

Customization can often lead to breakdowns. And when the customization is complex enough, you may have to hire a third party to take care of it.

This is a problem because there are also reports that customization is on the trickier side.

Pricing-wise, Sage only gives out actual figures on a quote-based system. But reviews say that it can be on the pricier side for small to mid-sized businesses. Of course, this is in addition to any costs incurred with customization and support packages.

Acumatica ERP

Founded in 2008, Acumatica is comparatively new to the ERP game. But within that time, they’ve made a significant impact.

Based in Kirkland, Washington, they provide a cloud and browser-based ERP experience for small-to-mid-sized businesses.

They have over 8,000 customers in 50+ countries, and while they’re nowhere near as large as Sage, they have won fasted growing ERP several years in a row.

Acumatica consistently wins awards for its customer service, which is 24/7 and abides by its customer bill of rights. In addition, they provide many services that make implementation, updates, customization, and troubleshooting a breeze.

Why Acumatica is an excellent alternative to Sage

If your business doesn’t have a large IT department, Acumatica may be the better choice for you.

Acumatica’s commitment to its customer base is admirable. They provide 24/7 service, and customers report their help is knowledgeable and solutions are quick.

When it comes to customization, Acumatica has made it easy. While it isn’t an out-of-the-box service, there is a large store of third-party integration.

And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you’re in luck. In addition, it’s straightforward to modify Acumatica because of its programming languages.

Both languages it employs are industry standard instead of proprietary. This means in-house solutions are simple; if you need to outsource, it’s not especially expensive.

The other element is pricing. Acumatica only charges for the services you use instead of a yearly subscription fee. You don’t pay per user; you pay for functionality and system usage.

So if your business is going through rapid growth, buying new services and resources as needed is simple.

Try Acumatica

ERPs should make your life easier by simplifying your business. However, they can complicate things if the customer support and customization options aren’t streamlined. While both ERPs are well-rated and respected, Sage is better suited for at least mid-sized businesses with technical support.

Accumatica ERP provides an end-to-end solution for business management, including accounting, inventory, CRM, and ERP. Accumatica Cloud ERP is a better choice for those who want to be sure their system is maintained well and want to make customization quickly and seamlessly.

If you’re looking to choose an ERP and want support you can count on, look no further. Confianz has a team of seasoned veterans to help you, from looking at your options to maintaining your system. So call us today to get started!

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