Long ago there was a certs mint commercial that said "certs is a breath mint, no certs is a candy mint, no certs is two mints, two mints in one."
Well, something similar could be said of Sage 50... it's a Desktop accounting solution, no it's a Cloud accounting solution, no Sage 50 is two accounting solutions, two accounting solutions in one."
And because it is two accounting solutions in one, it is likely the most misunderstood Sage accounting solution available in the US.
But this two-in-one is only one reason for the misunderstanding and we will come back to that in a few paragraphs down.
One reason has to do with rumors that Sage 50 is being canned, put out to pasture, has one foot in the graveyard, and such. I wish I could say that those rumors are untrue, but I can no more say that than I can say that they are true. I don't listen to rumors.
People said Sage 50 was ‘headed out the door’ four years ago, the truth is, it is still here with a 2024 edition, and it seems to be getting better than ever. If Sage 50 seems like an ‘old faithful,’ that is true, at one time it was known as Peachtree Accounting, but it has been a staple of the Sage accounting menu for many years. It’s gone through some facelifts and enhancements, and even those enhancements have evolved.
Like most Sage products, it is designed to work best when you use it with other Sage product offerings, but you don’t have to; it pretty well stands on its own. But if you are telling yourself that Sage 50 is old desktop accounting, you need to think again, because it's more than that.
Another reason Sage 50 is misunderstood is because some people think of it as desktop software, and some think of it as cloud software. The reason is simple: it can be both.
Like any desktop application, you could host it on your own server using Remote Desktop Connection, or you can have it hosted by any number of hosting companies. Still, those are not the cloud offerings I’m talking about.
As it happens, Sage decided to give Sage 50 a cloud-drive option a few years back and has worked to ensure the functionality of that offering. Now, users of Sage 50 don’t have to be tied to their desktops. With Sage 50 cloud-drive, users have greater flexibility and freedom in their work. They can also collaborate with other workers or their accountants and securely share their data.
Remote Data Access enables Sage 50’s Cloud Drive capabilities. This cloud service lets users share company accounting data securely, giving you and other users access to company data from anywhere at any time.
With Sage Cloud Drive, you upload your Sage 50 accounting company file to a secure cloud location, and then you can access that data anywhere you have Sage 50 running. As you create and edit transactions, your Sage 50 Accounting data is synchronized so that the data is never out of sync. If you regularly work with an accountant or bookkeeper, they can easily share your company data without interruption in operations.
Another reason Sage 50 may be misunderstood is that some features are only available when the product is run in cloud mode. Sage 50c Capture is a mobile app that operates with Sage 50 Cloud accounts and offers integration with Microsoft Office 365, enhancing the remote capabilities of Sage 50. It allows you to access customer information within Outlook, back up your data to Microsoft OneDrive, sync report information with Excel, and upload receipts and expense information from your smartphone app.
So, there is no need to be confused or misunderstand that Sage 50 with cloud integration is a viable accounting solution you may wish to explore. You can find out more at this official Sage 50 US website.