Accessing Sage data on the road has been one of the most common requirements for users. This normally needs sophisticated networking facilities but even then performance can be sluggish and not really usable.
But that has all changed with Sage Accounts 2012 which provides access to your data from your iPhone or Blackberry. The Sage 50 mobile app is designed for field-based staff who might want to look at customer data and use it, managers who may want to view outstanding balances or account totals, or other users who don’t usually sit in front of the desktop program. The mobile app itself is free, but must be tied to a Sage 50 Accounts desktop host. Accountants can even set their app up to review and access multiple company accounts!
The setup steps are pretty easy:~
There are some extra steps for the networked version and you may need to look at firewall settings but both can be addresses pretty quickly.
Another major requirement is that the Sage PC needs to be on (it won’t work if it is in ‘sleep’ mode’) but this can be overcome by using a hosted desktop service from suppliers such as Red IT Solutions Ltd. www.red-it.co.uk (these start from ~ £25 / mth which includes automatic back up as well as 24 * 7 * 365 internet access!)
Sage mobile is also available for other Sage products such as Sage 200 and Sage CRM. Please drop me an email to ara@red-it.co.uk if you have any questions about these solutions.
Mobile access is undoubtedly the next big technology solution to improve staff utilization and efficiency. And it is coming to an accounts department near you!
So if you have upgraded to Sage 50 Accounts 2012 and have an iPhone or Blackberry (and stamina ) you should try it! You may be pleasantly surprised!
- Make sure you have a Sage password - This is what you normally use to access www.sage.co.uk
- Configure your Sage system to allow mobile access - Tools > Internet Options > Mobile tab
- Setup mobile users and give them the appropriate access rights - The Professional version can support up to 10 users. It can take upto 15 minutes to create the subscription when new users are setup
- Download the Sage 50 Mobile App for your iPhone Blackberry - Make sure the Sage PC is on and connected to the internet
- Connect to your Sage data remotely and process away!
There are some extra steps for the networked version and you may need to look at firewall settings but both can be addresses pretty quickly.
Another major requirement is that the Sage PC needs to be on (it won’t work if it is in ‘sleep’ mode’) but this can be overcome by using a hosted desktop service from suppliers such as Red IT Solutions Ltd. www.red-it.co.uk (these start from ~ £25 / mth which includes automatic back up as well as 24 * 7 * 365 internet access!)
Sage mobile is also available for other Sage products such as Sage 200 and Sage CRM.
Mobile access is undoubtedly the next big technology solution to improve staff utilization and efficiency. And it is coming to an accounts department near you!
So if you have upgraded to Sage 50 Accounts 2012 and have an iPhone or Blackberry (and stamina) you should try it! You may be pleasantly surprised!
About Excel2Sage
Excel2Sage www.excel2sage.co.uk is a very easy to use program which allows everyday data to be imported from Excel to Sage with JUST ONE CLICK!
It improves efficiency whilst eradicating errors.
YouTube videos showing how various transactions can be imported using Excel2Sage can be found http://www.excel2sage.co.uk/index.php/tutorials/
About the author
Ara Martirossian is a Director of Red IT Solutions Limited http://www.red-it.co.uk as well as a National Council and IT Faculty Member at the ICAEW. He can be contacted via email on ara@red-it.co.uk.
