Sage, Microsoft Partner on SMB Accounting Solutions

SMB-centric accounting and payroll solutions vendor Sage has signed a global agreement with Microsoft (MSFT) to build a series of products based on Microsoft cloud solutions.

The partnership will expand Sage and Microsoft’s existing two decades-long relationship, and is expected to give the company’s customers access to Microsoft cloud, on-premise and hybrid solutions on a global level.

“We have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Microsoft for many years at a local level, but this new agreement is about taking a step back to look at the bigger picture,” said Alan Laing, executive vice president of Global Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at Sage, in a statement. “We’re imagining what could be made possible for small and medium businesses if our two organizations worked more closely together on a global scale.”

Sage is currently a customer for Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Windows and Azure, according to the announcement.

“We’re pleased to be growing our relationship with Sage, building upon their work with Azure, and extending it to the Office 365 platform,” said Julia White, general manager of Office 365 Product Marketing at Microsoft. “By developing on the Office 365 platform, Sage will ultimately help accountants and bookkeepers to be more productive.”