The Future of Sage 100 Is In The Cloud

July 14, 2022 by Wayne Schulz

Hi, I’m Wayne Schulz, a Sage 100 ERP consultant who has been working with Sage 100 since the early 1990s. You may actually remember the software as MAS 90.

I also run a Sage 100 email newsletter – Schulz Says – that I’ve been sending to 1300 people every Thursday for the past 10 years. The newsletter covers all sorts of topics on Sage 100 accounting software, best practices, tips, tricks, news, upcoming releases and that type of stuff.

Gary and I sat down during the Meeting of the Minds conference in Newport Beach, CA and talked briefly about the process that his company – Summit Hosting – takes to ease the transition for Sage 100 users from on-premises to cloud hosted accounting.

I’ve known Gary for over 15 years and he was one of the first consultants to work with Sage to host what was then known as MAS 90 in a cloud environment.

Over the last few years hosting has greatly expanded in availability. Summit Hosting now offers hosting for not only Sage 100 but Sage 50 ( formerly Peachtree), Sage 100 Contractor, Sage 300, Sage 300 CRE ( formerly Timberline ), Sage 500, Sage Enterprise Management ( X3 ), Sage BusinessWorks, Sage CRM, Sage Fixed Assets and Sage HRMS.

One important distinction is that Sage doesn’t directly host most of their applications.

Instead, they rely on a network of consulting firms with experience in cloud hosting to provide the hosting for not only the accounting applications but also third-party applications such as Office 365, etc.

Meet My Cloud Guru: Gary Feldman

Gary is the cloud evangelist at Summit Hosting. He’s been working with sage 100 Since the 80s and hosting sage 100 since 1999. His company, Summit Hosting, provides a Secure Workspace to offer Sage 100 cloud hosting.

Tip: While you can run Sage 100 on many different platforms – including AWS, Azure, Partner Cloud, and Remote Desktop ( RDP ) – you’ll want whichever way you chose to access Sage 100 remotely to be secure from unauthorized access.

How Tough Is It To Move Sage 100 To The Cloud?

One question I’m asked quite a bit which may be of interest to you is – how exactly do we move Sage 100 from my on-premises server to the cloud. Can I move to the cloud if I have third-party integrations? What limitations would I face moving to the cloud?

To that I end I asked Gary Feldman to elaborate on how many of these types of Sage 100 to Cloud migrations he has done in his career?

Gary’s reponse – around 500 migrations of Sage 100 on-premises to cloud hosted.

Okay, what obviously, it’s 100 customer, and I’ve got 15 users, right? That’s probably pretty difficult. I’ve got wholesale distribution, I’ve got some of the warehouse management stuff, I’ve got shipping, I come to you and I say, hey, look, I want to go on prem, I’m tired of managing my own servers, I want to go to the cloud, Reader’s Digest version. What’s that process like?

Migrating Sage 100 to Cloud: The Details

Well, the first thing is the contracting. Once you get the contract, and that usually is very quickly, we can spin up a server in a day.

Not everyone moves as quickly as a day. However, for purposes of conversation, the migration of your Sage 100 from an existing on premises server to a cloud host should be closer to a day than a month.

In detail, typically, what happens is you zip up ( compress ) your MAS90 or Sage 100 folder. Then you send it securely to us, usually via a file transfer system we have set up to make it fast.

And then we we install the Sage 100 version specific to your company. A lot of people use the cloud migration as an upgrade opportunity.

However, we’ve had to deal with some emergency situations such as the company was hacked on Friday, they had a backup, they send it to us, we get them up and running, they’re running on Monday.

Typically, what I would suggest to people is that, especially if they have the third party applications, that they do some testing, you know, and usually it’s, it’s no more than a day’s worth of testing to and through those major processes that you do.

Even things like content chat, you know, a check is is subject to the printer driver, right? If you go from a laptop to a server, it’s a different operating system, the printer driver might not work. But typically you zip it up, you send it up there. And in a couple of days, it works.

If you have a really large environment,let’s say a SQL Sage 100 Premium environment and you have a lot of users, we frequently recommend you do a stress test.

Sage 100 on SQL ( Premium ) Without Setup Hassles

Okay, so here’s a good question. Because I think premium is the best version of Sage 100.

Benefits of Sage 100 Premium ( SQL )

Data security controlled by SQL
Migrates your existing Sage 100 data automatically
Integrates to almost all third-party solutions that Sage 100 works with
Faster external access to and reporting on SQL tables
Generally easier for external IT teams to access data files in a familiar SQL environment
Sage no longer charges extra for Premium provided you active on subscription

Note: For more details on the pros/cons of Sage 100 Premium review my free Sage 100 Premium FAQ ( Google Doc – NO REGISTRATION ). I keep this as a Google Doc so that as I continue to make updates you’ll always have the latest version at the link above.

Hosting your Sage 100 in a cloud environment will rarely involve giving up access to third-party solutions. Popular integrations like Starship, ScanForce, DataSelf, Scanco, MAPADOC will all work in both an on-premises and cloud based environment. And upgrades are actually easier in the cloud because you have control over all the workstations during the upgrade – so no more running workstation to workstation having to run wksetup repeatedly.

Premium is Sage 100 running on a SQL database. That means the tables are secured by SQL security which larger companies almost always insist on for keeping data private and secure.

In my experience Sage 100 on SQL equals less corruption. However, one issue with SQL setup and configuration is many customers don’t know how to set up or maintain Microsoft SQL.

It can be much simpler to offload MS SQL setup, configuration, maintenance and licensing to a third-party cloud host.

Predictable Monthly Cost

And with cloud hosting that’s all done for you through monthly subscription pricing.

SQL also creates so many more opportunities, not just from a reporting perspective. But for people who are, if you’ve got a partner who has a good development partner, you can do so much with triggers or with with stored procedures with other stuff to make more automation within your software as well. So it’s just it’s just a better database.

And the nice thing with Sage 100, in almost all cases the third-party integrations which are working with on-premises Sage 100 Standard or Advances work just fine with Sage 100 Premium in the cloud using SQL.

In additon to better security you’ll have better tools for backups. If you are high volume transaction processor in SQL, you can do backups during the day. So you don’t have a recovery point of yesterday, you can have recovery points during the day as well.

How To You Setup Your Sage 100 Users In The Cloud?

At Summit Hosting we take a spreadsheet of all your users, load that into Microsoft Active Directory, and then the users receive an email with instructions on how to login and setup their desktops. Depending on the situation we might have a remote training session or two as well.

To keep all your remote users secure we have this new tool called True Grid which creates like a VPN tunnel. It also allows for multi factor authentication, which is another great security feature so that you and only you can log into it.

With multi-factor authentication we are sending you a code onto your smartphone. And what’s even better about that is that everybody doesn’t have to have it. Because you know, you have different people with different levels, even though I would highly, highly, highly recommend multi-factor ( aka MFA ). That’s the way of the future. If you do any online banking, you have to do this stuff all the time anyway. But that’s how you can also get administrative rights on the server.

We have a frequently asked questions pages, all that kind of information available for you including detailed instructions along with step by step with pictures and a whole lot of customers,

Bad Internet Connections Typically Not A Factor

One of the objections to access your Sage 100 remotely in the cloud is that one or more of your people have a bad internet or internet goes down. In reality we’ve found that most Internet is pretty table so it’s not much of a factor anymore.

The way you connect using Terminal Server consumes such a small amount of data. You’re not sending all of your data over the Internet, you’re just sending keystrokes and mouse clicks, and we’re just sending you pictures of the screen. So there isn’t significant amounts of data going over the internet, which is also why it’s secure.

We’ve seen people try to roll their own cloud solution. In most cases it makes the most amount of sense to go with somebody who has done 500 of them. It makes things a lot easier. And in my view, the future of Sage 100 is remote connections to the cloud. Especially since Sage 100 runs just like it would on an on premise just a lot easier to set up configure insecure, and support.

Support. We have 24 by seven support 365 and the partners can get in anytime they need to do

The above is a transcript of a conversion with Gary Feldman from the May 2022 90 Minds Meeting. Portion have been edited for clarity. For more information about cloud hosting please reach out to Summit Hosting directly at sales@summithosting.com.

Sage Readies Partner-Hosted Sage 100cloud on Azure

October 7, 2020 by Wayne Schulz

According to an agenda for upcoming Sage Partner Kickoff meetings being held on October 27-28, 2020 Sage is readying a partner-hosted Azure offering for Sage 100 and Sage 300.

Customers need more than one path to the cloud. That’s why we’re introducing our new partner-hosted cloud offering to give Sage 100 & Sage 300 customers the ability to move to the cloud without having to change systems. We’ll dive into the details of how our new Azure-hosted partner solution works including what you need to do in order to sell it.

We’ve been hearing rumors of some type of offering which creates another option for Sage 100cloud users who are unsure of how to move their accounting system to the cloud.

Cloud hosting for Sage 100 has been available for quite some time so Sage’s offering is likely more of a marketing campaign to make existing customers aware of the capability to run Sage 100cloud on hosted platforms.

Sage is also emailing customers about free Azure Active Directory Premium licenses. These licenses appear to offer a way for Sage 100cloud users to connect to the Sage Contact offering which connects Office 365 contacts to Sage 100cloud. The licenses may also provide a way to utilize an upcoming Sage 100cloud Open API Builder recently demonstrated on YouTube.

We will have more information about Sage 100cloud Azure hosting options once Sage formally unveils this program. There will likely be an additional fee for this hosting although it’s unknown whether this might be billed along with the Sage 100cloud subscription or separately by the hosting partner.

Stay connected with this and future Sage 100cloud news by joining our Sage 100cloud email newsletter.

5 reasons NOW is the time to move Sage 100cloud to the cloud

April 3, 2019 by Darcy Boerio

If you’re still running Sage 100 or Sage 100cloud on a local server, here are five reasons why you might not want to wait any longer to move Sage to the cloud:

#1. Mother Nature.

Following a disaster, 90% of smaller companies fail within a year unless they can resume operations within 5 days.
FEMA (read more)

Flooding, fires, tropical storms. All of these unexpected events can put your business at risk. Don’t wait until Mother Nature is at the door to try to come up with a continuity plan. Having your applications and data hosted in a secure data center allows you to continue operations even if your offices become inaccessible.

Actual LinkedIn post from March, 2019 by a company hit by the massive flooding in Nebraska.

#2. Support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will be ending on January 14, 2020. Read more on this here.

If you’re currently using one of these versions, you will no longer receive regular security updates. And once Microsoft support ends for these operations systems, Sage will also stop supporting Sage 100 and Sage 100cloud running on these unsupported platforms.

If you’re faced with a server upgrade, it’s a great time to consider cloud hosting. Summit Hosting can provide you with a modern server environment with minimal IT effort on your end.

Chances are you aren’t the only one facing this deadline, so don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help! Contact Summit Hosting today.

#3. Remote work is becoming the norm, but some IT departments aren’t prepared for it.

Are you seeing an increase in requests from your team to work remotely? As remote work becomes more commonplace, some argue that remote workers are outperforming office workers. As the trend continues to grow and the workforce becomes accustomed to remote work, companies will find that offering some level of flexibility on this will be key to attracting and retaining talent.

Even if your business isn’t conducive to remote work on a large scale, there is still great benefit to providing employees with the tools they need to be productive while traveling for work.

But with it comes a whole new set of technology and security concerns that go beyond what you need to manage when your server resides down the hall in your own building. Hosting companies like Summit Hosting understand the infrastructure necessary to keep your data secure, yet easily accessible.

Hosting also solves the problem of “BYOD”. Users, remote or on site, can run Sage on a mobile device, iPad, or even on a Mac, if that’s their device of choice. You can also give access to your Sage partner, making it that much easier for them to provide remote assistance.

#4. “Right size” your IT.

Hosting allows you to scale your IT as your company’s needs change. Planning on a growth spurt? With hosting, you don’t have to worry whether or not your IT infrastructure can accommodate it. Or if you’re facing a potential downsizing situation, you don’t need to overspend on technology that is overkill for your future situation.

With hosting, you can easily add and remove users and storage space as needed.

And that 3rd party add-on that you’ve been eyeing? No need to stretch your existing servers to accommodate it. Because they specialize in Sage hosting, Summit Hosting has experience hosting all the major third party solutions for Sage 100.

#5. Cybersecurity is a moving target for your IT people.

More than 50% (of Chief Information Security Officers) believe they don’t have enough budget or do not have the resources to deal with the growing threat of cybersecurity attacks as they struggle to spot existing vulnerabilities within their business.”
Forbes.com – Cybersecurity Fears Drive CISOs to Drink Amid Serious Mental Health Concerns

Hosting companies like Summit Hosting are dedicated to keeping up with the latest cyberthreats. You can rest easy knowing that the burden of preventing cyberattacks isn’t on you or your team. Your hosting company has you covered.

While 62% of IT people believe that the biggest security threat comes from “well meaning but negligent end users”, hosting still helps mitigate that risk by offering an additional layer of security called 2 Factor Authentication that can prevent breaches even if passwords have been compromised.

Ready to move Sage 100 / Sage 100cloud to the cloud? Contact Summit Hosting to learn more. Don’t forget to mention “Schulz Says” for special pricing!

www.summithosting.com

Sage 100c Cloud Hosting Questions and Answers (FAQ)

November 15, 2016 by Wayne Schulz

Sage 100c is the next generation of Sage 100 accounting. Initially, Sage 100c’s primary difference is pricing – with Sage 100c being sold on subscription instead of requiring an often larger up-front payment for the initial purchase. There has been some confusion over what the “c” in Sage 100c means. Some users conclude that the “c” stands for cloud. While that is a popular belief, in reality, the c simply distinguishes a new updated look for Sage 100. You’ll hear some people refer to it also by the name “c-line”.

Interested in taking your Sage 100c to the cloud? Here are answers to many questions that we’ve received about the new “c-line” of Sage 100 accounting software as it pertains to hosting the software in the cloud.

What’s new with Sage 100c?

To start with, beginning January 1, 2017, Sage will sell only Sage 100c to new and off-plan customers (those off plan for greater than three months under the Sage guidelines). Sage 100c is only sold based upon subscription which means purchasing requires less upfront payment than any prior version.

Click here for a free PDF download of What’s New In Sage 100 2017 (no registration)

Sage 100c also features a modern user interface and offers the availability of integration to Job Ops (aka Sage 100c Manufacturing), Sage Inventory Advisor Basics (requires Gold+ maintenance) and additional Sage Inventory Advisor licenses (requires Gold+ maintenance).

Does the “C” In Sage 100c Mean I Can Run It In The Cloud?

Yes. Although prior versions of Sage 100 had similar capabilities. The Sage 100c product wasn’t expanded to include added cloud functionality although the use of the “c” in the product name seems to be primarily to open customer’s minds to the possibility of hosting Sage 100c.

If you choose to host Sage 100c in the cloud you’ll do so by either creating your own cloud server or using the services of a cloud hosting provider who typically have experience with the setup and maintenance of Sage 100c in the cloud.

Can I Still Host Sage 100c Even If My Company Uses Enhancements or Third-Party Integrations?

In almost every case the answer is yes. Whether you are using Starship, Scanforce, Scanco, ACS Group Multi-Bin, DSD Business System Enhancements or a wide variety of other third party integrations you will be able to host your Sage 100 in the cloud.

Third-party cloud hosting providers can typically accommodate almost any configuration of Sage 100c. Be sure to ask whether they have experience with Sage and if so, how much.

How Much Does Hosting For Sage 100c Cost?

Pricing is dependent on the configuration and number of users. Expect a starting price of about $65 per user per month (min 5 users) for basic hosting which includes the server, configuration, backups, maintenance and support for your cloud access questions. You’ll pay more if you require Microsoft Office licenses.

Your Sage 100c subscription is in addition to your hosting cost.

Cloud hosting makes the most financial sense for:

Companies with multiple small office locations that lack IT resources to manage a server
Security-conscious companies who want to split off the accounting from the company servers
Companies that are already committed to hosting their applications in the cloud for easier access from anywhere

Are There Other Benefits To Hosting Sage 100c In The Cloud?

The two biggest benefits are:

Easy access to your accounting system from anywhere at any time provided you have reliable Internet
Tighter security – by off-loading the backups and anti-virus / malware protection your accounting system will not be as widely exposed to a system failure as it would if it was sitting on a company local server sharing resources with dozens of non-accounting users.

Perhaps the biggest advantage cloud hosting offers is that you can migrate on and off relatively easily. If you’re not happy with the performance of on-premises or cloud – you can easily switch between on or the other.

For more information and detailed pricing on Sage 100c hosting you may want to contact Robert Eppele ( robert.eppele@gotomyerp.com or 877-888-5525 x704 ). Robert has been a great source of help in assisting Sage 100c users with moving from on-premises to the cloud.

Free Conference Call: November 16, 2016 1pm ET

Join our conference call on Nov 16, 2016 at 1pm ET where we’ll discuss this topic in much more depth (https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5244428949689535490register here)