SMBs Leverage the Cloud
August 15, 2012
For many small and midsized business owners, especially those considered early adopters, mobile technologies are changing business strategies. By harnessing the power of cloud-based solutions, SMBs (small-to-midsized businesses) in markets like construction are finding ways to cut costs by streamlining business processes, helping to set the stage for future success.
This week, Sage North America, www.na.sage.com, Irvine, Calif., announced a new strategy to help North American SMBs fully realize the benefits of the cloud, including mobile-device deployments, for their business. The company provides software solutions targeted at SMBs in different industries and in areas such as accounting and ERP (enterprise-resource planning), among others.
During the event, Pascal Houillon, CEO, Sage North America, and Himanshu Palsule, CTO, Sage North America, outlined the details of the strategy, including a three-pronged approach to the cloud. Sage says each prong supports mobile access and is aimed at a specific segment of the SMB market.
Specific to construction, the company offers Sage Construction Anywhere, a solution built on Microsoft Azure that launched in May. Sage says development on Azure is underway for the company’s ERP products, notably Sage 300 ERP 2012, which is slated to begin shipping this quarter. The solution will offer enhancements and new connected services, including mobile access.
Other parts of the company’s strategy include Sage One, a multitenant SaaS (software-as-a-solution) offering for very small businesses (nine employees or less), which includes mobile capabilities; and a next-gen ERP platform, Sage ERP X3. The Web-enabled X3 solution, planned for North American release next year, is targeted to midsized businesses, and Sage says it will offer a simplified user interface, plus data processing and data storage models for ERP.
Among other announcements, all of which prove the company plans to continue to invest in cloud/mobile technologies, Sage demonstrated two new mobile apps that will allow SMBs to streamline business flow by taking product orders, invoicing services, and even accepting payments on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
As these mobile devices, technologies, enterprise applications, and cloud-based business solutions become common in the business world, more construction industries are looking to align with providers that are dedicated to the technology revolution. By helping SMBs set the stage for future growth, technology—and the companies that provide the technology—are helping companies find success in a connected world.