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SMEs at the heart of technology evolution

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 08 Mar 2017
Stephen Kelly CEO, Sage Group.
Stephen Kelly CEO, Sage Group.

Technology is accelerating at a rapid pace. It has made accounting business solutions smarter, more intelligent and now it's able to make intuitive intelligent decisions.

This is according to Stephen Kelly, CEO Sage Group, speaking yesterday at the Sage Summit Tour in Johannesburg. Discussing the accountancy software supplier's technology vision for MEA, Kelly said Sage's customers are made up of SMEs and large enterprises, and SA is relying on the country's SMEs to create 90% of the 11 million new jobs which are forecasted by 2030. He believes technological innovation lies at the heart of these organisations, and it is set to change their future.

"Nigeria has an estimated 37 million small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) as the catalyst to achieving economic growth and development. In Kenya, small businesses employ an estimated 15 million people. These businesses contribute one third towards the country's GDP. In Dubai SMMEs make up 95% of all business establishments. Everyday Sage is inspired by these ambitious businesses, which are the engine of Africa and they deserve the best in technology from Sage," he asserted.

In offering organisations the best in technology, Sage yesterday unveiled five new cloud and desktop accounting and payroll products across seven markets for all types of businesses, from start-ups to large enterprises. Sage's new products and features, explained Kelly, will take MEA businesses closer to a world where administrative duties are invisible.

Sage's latest offering has automated the mundane administrative parts of accounting using artificial intelligence, enabling organisations to streamline processes and make better business decisions, he pointed out.

"AI is the game changer for the next decade. Around 61% of SA respondents to a recent Sage business survey say AI is one of the biggest tech trends for the future," revealed Kelly. "Around half of SMME's say they're ready to run their companies using bolts. Technology has made accounting business solutions much smarter, with administrative capabilities that manage your business enabling you to get on with your business and follow your dreams."

Discussing the products, Anton van Heerden, MD and executive vice-president, MEA at Sage, said: "Our new product offering consists of Sage Live, a cloud accounting solution for scale up businesses. Sage X3, an open and modular solution for companies who want to move away from maintaining their own data centres. Sage One invoicing, which will be officially unveiled in SA at end of April, gives start-ups the ability to produce professional quotes and invoices from a mobile device or PC. We see our customers as the heroes that build the region's economy and we are giving them the tools and technologies they need to be successful," he explained.

Sage plans to unveil Sage One Payroll in Kenya by end-March and in Nigeria by end-June, concluded Van Heerden.

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