Evolving

A proper CRM industry news junkie hears about “revolution” in the biz all the time, but rarely is an “evolution” announced.

Nevertheless, this week Sage Software did just that, with announced that it is “evolving its business organization to better address its customers by aligning business units more closely to its customer segments.”

Sage will now have a “Business Management Division” which combines its accounting, ERP, CRM, and related businesses into a single organization to serve small- and mid-sized businesses.

The new “Industry & Specialized Solutions Division” will deal with industry-specific solutions for businesses and organizations in the construction, real estate, and nonprofit industries, as well as providing human resource management systems, online payroll services and other employee-management solutions.

Sage Software is the North American business of The Sage Group, plc, a provider of accounting and ERP systems for businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Sage Software has acquired and integrated 22 businesses since 1998, including many brands such as ACT! by Sage, Sage SalesLogix, Sage Timberline, Sage MAS 90 ERP, Sage Abra HRMS, Peachtree by Sage, and Simply Accounting by Sage.

Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and the Group now claims 5.4 million customers and employs over 13,000 worldwide.