Sage Data and Analytics is a BI toolkit designed to appeal to growing interest in this kind of solution downmarket, as well as to make it relatively easy to engage with the product and see a quick ROI return.
Sage Data and Analytics Dashboard, CFO view
Today, cloud business management solutions vendor Sage is launching its cloud-first Sage Data and Analytics service integration for Sage 300 and Sage 100 in the Canadian and U.S. markets. The service integration was earlier available in Australia. Sage Data and Analytics is a business intelligence [BI] toolkit with AI and machine learning capabilities, which provides live sales dashboards, graphical cashflow analysis, detailed, and P&L reports in the cloud. It was created in partnership with ZAP, a global ISV which focuses on data management solutions.
Sage and ZAP have been long-time strategic partners, but until recently the partnership’s primary focus was centred on Sage’s higher end X3 product line globally.
“ZAP also has an integration to Sage 300 in Australia,” said Tammy Matthews, Director, Product Management at Sage. “What’s new now is that we are bringing it to market in North America.”
In the Canadian market, Sage 300 is the more important of the two products, in part because years ago, before acquisition, it was a Canadian company, ACCPAC, and in part because its larger SMB and smaller midmarket focus is a good fit for the Canadian market.
“We sell a little Sage 100 in Canada, but not that much compared to Sage 300,” said Mike Edgett, Director Product Marketing at Sage. “Of course, Sage 300 sells very well in the U.S. as well.”
Sage acknowledges that there is no shortage of third-party business intelligence systems for mid-market ERP solutions like Sage 300, but they believe that the nature of this integration will confer specific advantages on customers who use it.
Sage Data and Analytics, Accounts Receivable Dashboard
“It’s cloud-only solution is quite appealing,” Matthews said. “In addition, while there are lots of BI solutions on the market, the ability to integrate seamlessly into 100 and 300, as Sage Data and Analytics does, is differentiated. We also know from Net Promoter results that while customers need more data and this addresses their need to do more with data, those other solutions don’t score that well, so they clearly don’t meet the needs of customers.”
“BI has reached the stage now of being table stakes for customers, but the expectations of table stakes have changed,” Edgett pointed out. “The presence now of more rich data means that the customer expectations of what they get out of a system has changed. The perception from a lot of the market that advanced analytics was just for the big guys, and was expensive, has also been slowly changing. We have designed this for midmarket customers to be comfortable, in order to bring them in.”
Matthews also stressed that Sage Data and Analytics is not solely a BI solution.
“It takes data from any source and combines it with ERP data,” she said. “If a Sage 300 customer moves to Sage Intacct, they can bring all their data with them.”
“Because Sage Data and Analytics is only available through channel partners, this also provides lots of room for partners to layer on their own professional services and capabilities,” Matthews added.
Matthews noted that partner participation in the early adopter program for this in North America has been highly enthusiastic.
“Many were quite keen to participate,” she said. “We will see in the next six months to what extent this will take business away from the solutions that are already in market.”
Matthews said that the training Sage is offering to partners around this emphasizes the importance of starting small, so as not to overwhelm the customer.
“Starting small also lets the customer see a ROI immediately, which is important,” she said.
Sage Data and Analytics is available as a cloud hosted subscription service for Sage 100 and Sage 300 in a choice of three bundles with all-inclusive pricing: Standard, Advanced and Premium.
