Sage 100 ERP 2013 (formerly MAS 90 MAS 200) Release

The Sage 100 ERP 2013 (formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200) release is scheduled for this fall. In an earlier post, we covered the customer-requested enhancements added to the traditional modules, including Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Bank Reconciliation, and Inventory Management, as well as enhancements to the integration with Sage CRM. In this post we will cover new capabilities in Credit Card Processing and Paperless Office; highlight the benefits of the new cloud-based Sage Exchange technology and its Mobile Payments capability; and finally the enhancements to Sage Advisor.

Credit Card Processing

The Sage 100 ERP 2013 release includes new flexibility in accepting credit cards with the Sage 100 ERP software. It will leverage Sage Exchange for the integration to the Sage Payments Gateway.

Sage Exchange is a cloud-based technology that consists of three key elements: the Sage Exchange Vault, SageExchange.com, and developer tools that enable Sage Development Partners to connect to Sage Exchange. Sage Exchange technology includes connectivity to a secure vault for storing all sensitive credit card information outside of Sage 100 ERP.

Sage Exchange provides many new capabilities related to credit card transactions, including: card-swipe capabilities, charges for both regular and repetitive invoices in Accounts Receivable, mobile payments, improved cash flow management, reduced fraud exposure, and a consolidated view of payment activity. Sage Exchange Support is automatically included when establishing a merchant account with Sage Payment Solutions.

SageExchange.com And Sage Exchange Vault
Fraud exposure will be reduced in the upcoming release by storing sensitive cardholder data in the secure, cloud-based Sage Exchange Vault. Customers migrating from previous versions of the software will be able to easily move their customers’ credit card information from their current location into the secure Sage Exchange Vault. The process will be streamlined for customers who are already using Sage Payment Solutions. With Sage 100 ERP 2013 you will have the option of not saving credit card information for a one-time use of a credit card for a payment transaction.

SageExchange.com provides a user-configurable dashboard and flexibility to view payment information on the Web via a tablet or desktop, according to your preference. Pre-defined tabs can be used to assign access to SageExchange.com for your employees. You also can create customized coupons for use with specific credit card terminals, and easily make connections using tablets or mobile phones. Plus you will have 24/7 access to the Sage Payment Solutions customer support database.

New Credit Card Capabilities
Credit Card functionality will be enhanced in Sage 100 ERP 2013 to provide the ability to accept payments by credit card for services rendered at the time of Accounts Receivable invoice creation. This streamlines acceptance of credit cards for service-based companies, such as landscape architects and business consultants. You now will be able to apply credit card payments to recurring invoices for repetitive services such as membership dues or service fees.

New flexibility is included in Sales Order. At the time of Sales Order creation, you will be able to define the pre-authorization amount to use, whether it is a portion of the transaction, an amount over the transaction amount, or the entire amount owed. A confirmation of payment receipt is made possible by including the payment amount on the Sales Order invoice.

Card Swipe Capabilities
Sage Exchange will reduce merchant transaction fees when cards are present and speed the entry process when swiping credit cards using a Sage Payments recognized card-swipe device attached to the terminal. The new card-swipe capabilities have been integrated so that payments processing is built into the normal Sage 100 ERP workflow. This is a nice upgrade from the disconnected card swipe capabilities many companies use.

Sage Mobile Payments
SageExchange.com will enable the delivery of many new payment features and functionality in the Sage 100 ERP 2013 release. SageExchange.com will allow payments to be collected anytime, anywhere, via smart phone. Ideal for cash sales, Mobile Payments will immediately capture the cash transaction information and send it to Sage Exchange, for secure transfer to Sage 100 ERP. Companies providing services and collecting fees in a mobile environment will find these features especially helpful.

Paperless Office

A big component of Paperless Office is the ability to email reports and forms as needed. With Sage 100 ERP 2013, Paperless Office will use SMTP authentication. As a result, you no longer will need to maintain your own email server, and will be able to securely send Paperless Office documents via mail services such as Google mail, Yahoo, AT&T, and Hotmail.

The use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) ensures communication between the client and server will be encrypted, thus protecting sensitive company information and ensuring you are communicating with the actual server.

Sage Advisor Update

Sage 100 ERP 2013 will update the Sage Advisor capabilities to provide you with self-service management of Product Updates and new ERP software releases. You have the option to download installation components for manual installations, review current information on maintenance and support entitlement and expiration dates, and to schedule an automatic check for updates. With Sage Advisor you can conveniently schedule when to check for updates, view available updates, and download hot fixes and updates.

Technology Updates

A significant component of your software subscription fee is invested in keeping Sage 100 ERP compatible with current hardware and operating systems. This release includes a 64-bit ODBC driver, implementation of the MSI Windows Installer, and compatibility for Sage 100 ERP Premium with Microsoft SQL Server 2012.

Please call us with your questions, or to plan your upgrade.