Sage News and Discussion

Is this going to be Sage's answer to replacing payroll? http://www.sage.com/investors/regulatory-announcements/2014/09/22/acquisition

Just spotted this online. We will need to know more but my first instinct is that this won't be a replacement for Sage 100 payroll so much as a new payroll option for the Sage 50 and Sage One customer. The main issue - as we've seen with past payroll attempts = integration. My guess is Sage will go after lower hanging fruit. I don't know anything about the acquired company.

I agree - first cut-off is only 10 employees, and higher basically forces you into having them process it, so unless Sage is just going to give up on internal payroll processing, this isn't the answer.

I wonder if they are planning to put the PR processing in the Cloud and integrate to Sage ERP via sData?

Can non-framework modules utilize SDATA?

No they can't. What I envision is the ""payroll module"" in the cloud, using sData to send GL data back to ERP. Pretty much the same data separation as is now in the system. In Sage's current fuckus on locking customers into subscriptions, this would be a very attractive concept to Sage.

ADP (et al) is largely already doing this by VI. What would be the solution for Job Cost or Work Order where the end user is bringing in labor and also passing that labor to PR?

They can't. I don't think Sage cares about that problem.

TimeCard is the solution for Job Cost. You can integrate with JC and NOT with Payroll. WO has never had any integration (except by VI).

Perhaps this acquisition is more of an answer for the Sage 100 ERP Premium which does not have any payroll solution.

Sage FAQ

Q: How will PayChoice solutions be sold? A: The solutions will be sold direct and through third parties with a focus on licensees, accountants, and financial institutions. Surprised?

I think this will be more of a Sage 50 level product vs replacing Sage 100/300/500 payroll.

Maybe. We are HRMS certified and we also got the announcement from the new GM of HRMS. Would they be touting a Sage 50 product?

Maybe it's an HRMS replacement too. Truth is that none of us knows. Probably not even Sage. However let history be your guide. Has Sage every in the history of the company - since inception - been able to create a seamless deep integration to a non-native Sage product? The only one I can think of is Sage Exchange. Maybe lightning will strike twice.

So has this actually gone thru? According to Sage's Tweets, it has. But multiple e-mails from Sage just state ""their intent"".

I think it's legalese

Wayne, I'm not really disagreeing with the Sage 50 assessment. And, yes, even if it is for 100/300 it will take at least a couple of years to integrate in a way that anybody will feel confident with. What struck me is the potential usefulness of sData in a situation like this. sData is also how Sage CRM will soon integrate its cloud implementation to on-prem 100. It is how Infor CRM (former SLX) now integrates with X3, apparently pretty reliably.

At the end of the day, Sage is becoming Infor with yet another technology solution that is not compatible with a rationalized product portfolio. It means they will not invest in Sage 100 Payroll within the framework and we will continue to be disappointed by the lack of coherent strategy for their cash cow product.. IMHO

I'm learning quite a bit about Infor these days. I'm coming to the conclusion that there is little comparison between it and Sage. For one thing, Infor has hired LOTS of engineers, and it appears the technology it's developed to integrate and to put a new interface on things is actually pretty good. In contrast, Sage seems likely to continue its underinvestment strategy in technology that can't actually do what they claim it will. Although, Sage CRM deserves more respect than it has now.

Spotted this comment by Deborah Nelson (Sage 100 PM) in the LInkedIn Group: Naturally, announcement of this acquisition has raised questions about the future of current Sage payroll solutions, and whether PayChoice will become the ""next generation"" solution for our ERP products. At least initially, PayChoice will be targeted at small businesses alongside Sage's ERP 50 and SageOne solutions, and most of the work around the product will focus on this segment. The product management and development teams for SMB solutions, such as Sage 100 and Sage 300, will be reviewing how our newly acquired payroll capabilities will help us enhance the services we provide to our ERP customers and whether it can serve as a replacement or cloud alternative to existing payroll options. It will likely be several months before we have this assessment completed and have an idea of fit and timing, and we will share our plans when available

https://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=5919768378595110914&gid=1644357&goback=%2Egmr_1644357#commentID_null

RE: Deborah Nelson - The assessment will take several months???? They have had several YEARS to ponder this profound problem.......

Let me translate -- ""Once we think we will lose more money from payroll users dropping maintenance than the money we'd have to put into an integration - then we'll get serious

Yes it does. And yet this doesn't seem like the sort of thing, more analysis, LeBahn promised in July. They must know that the Sage 100 isn't so stupid as to buy another delay-by-analysis as meeting a public executive's promise? Death by a 1000 cuts here.