Online Accounting for Small Businesses Now Available from Sage

Sage is taking its accounting solutions beyond the software integration platform and offering a hosted software package. Available through monthly subscriptions, the hosted accounting solution is offered by the small business accounting software supplier for sole traders and startups.

Dubbed the Sage One software, Sage is positioning its new platform as offering a simple, secure, low cost way to manage finances. The online systems allows business owners to effectively work from home on such things as invoices and tax returns, as well as assess business performance both in the office and while on the go.

Sage Online Managing Director, Simon Black, recently shared that Sage is aiming the software at a high volume of small firms that it has been unable to reach in the past. The company has recognized the opportunity in this space and has developed a very simple market offering to capitalize on the potential.

The Launch of the Sage One is actually the second time the company has sought to sell an Internet-based accounting software package to small businesses. Known as Sage Live, the first attempt fell short of expectations and the company pulled it from the market in 2009.

According to Black, Sage Live was more focused on leveraging the advantages of the Internet. The main idea was to target small- and medium-sized enterprises, but the focus was not narrow enough to capitalize on specific market demand. As a result, Sage learned a lot from that launch, taking a fresh approach this time around, with the customer clearly in their sights.

Sage One is designed specifically for Apple Mac users, although the company also expects some existing PC customers to switch to this new platform rather than invest in software packages that require manual updates.