There are two editions of Sage 200: Sage 200 Standard and Sage 200 Professional. The answer as to whether Sage 200 is cloud based is different for the two editions.
First though to mention that there was a period when Sage 200 was known as Sage 200cloud. This is no longer the case, and the information below applies to both Sage 200 and existing sites which first bought Sage 200 when it was known as Sage 200cloud.
Is Sage 200 Standard cloud based?
Sage 200 Standard is cloud based, certainly in the sense that it has the main characteristics of cloud software including:
- You don’t need on premise servers or other expensive and complicated IT infrastructure
- Sage are responsible for managing the software, applying updates and backups
- It can be used from anywhere there is a good internet connection
- It’s available on subscription and you can scale your use up or down as needed
- Integration is possible through an “api”
A cloud purist might reasonably quibble a little, but most of the quibbles are unlikely to concern a typical Sage 200 user. The quibbles include:
- Part of the Sage 200 software is installed locally on users’ computers. However, the install process is quick and easy and updates are then automatic
- It’s not web based, so it can’t be used on tablets or mobiles. At the time of writing this is starting to change, but currently the quibble is broadly correct.
- Not all features and functions are available through the api. At the time of writing all the main features except for purchase order processing are available, and the api is continuing to be extended.
Please do check details with us, as unsurprisingly there are some caveats. For example Sage define what a “good” internet connection is, and among other things if you have staff in countries significantly outside Europe then their internet connection is unlikely to meet the requirements.
Is Sage 200 Professional cloud based?
Sage 200 Professional can be deployed either on premise or “hosted. When Sage 200 Professional is hosted, depending on the details of how the hosting is providing, it is reasonable to regard it as cloud based.
Hosting can be provided and managed by: your in house IT team; your external IT support company; or by a third party that Protronics introduces. It’s often appropriate to go with one of the first two options, but for the purposes of this article we’ll focus on the third option because its characteristics are then very similar to Sage 200 Standard and are:
- You don’t need on premise servers or other expensive and complicated IT infrastructure
- The third party is responsible for managing the software, applying updates and backups
- It can be used from anywhere there is a good internet connection
- It’s available on subscription and you can scale your use up or down as needed
- Integration is possible through an “api”
So in summary the answer to “is Sage 200 Professional cloud based” is “there are a number of deployment options, including one that cloud based in the sense that it has the core attributes of cloud based deployments”.
