Word is circulating that Sage is looking to Microsoft to move its cloud efforts forward. According to the FT, the UK business software provider is talking to Microsoft about running Sage’s small business accounting software on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.
Sage, always a cautious mover shall we say, has been on the brink of making an out and out commitment to the cloud for several years now but never seems to pluck up the courage to take the plunge. And it is paying the price - UK growth over the last few years has been laboured, something in the 3%-5% range – and we can’t see that changing without a dramatic shift in its strategy. That shift should be to the cloud (as part of a hybrid on/off premise strategy).
A partnership with Microsoft would start to address the cloud issue but if it only addresses small business accounting it would still not be a full solution. Sage needs a unified cloud strategy and delivery mechanism across its whole portfolio, not more dabbling at the edges.