Question 1

Which hosting option is right for my ERP?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the software, user count, and data size. Hyperscalers such as Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud suit teams that want low-latency regional hosting and pay-as-you-go billing. Budget VPS providers cut the raw cost but leave you to manage the server. Specialist Sage hosts give you a fully managed, Sage-supported setup. Cloud-native products such as Sage Intacct are hosted by the vendor only.

Question 2

Do I need a SQL Server licence?

Accepted Answer

Sage 200, Sage 300, and Acumatica run on Microsoft SQL Server. Hyperscalers let you rent the SQL Server licence by the hour or bring your own. Budget VPS providers expect you to bring your own licence. Sage 50 and Pastel use Actian Zen, and Odoo uses PostgreSQL, so neither needs a SQL Server licence.

Question 3

Can Sage Intacct be self-hosted?

Accepted Answer

No. Sage Intacct is cloud-only and is hosted by Sage. Sage X3 in the UK and EU can be hosted by Sage, included in the subscription, or self-hosted on one of the infrastructure options.

Question 4

Are the prices fixed?

Accepted Answer

No. The figures shown are indicative from-prices for comparison. The exact quote depends on the software, user count, and data size. Book a discovery call for a firm quote.

Question 5

Can you keep my data in my own country?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pick your region and the page shows only the hosts that keep data in that jurisdiction. South Africa is served from Johannesburg or Cape Town. The UK is served from a UK data centre, Europe from an EU data centre, and the United States from a US data centre. Hetzner has no UK or South African data centre, so it appears only for Europe and the United States.

Question 6

Who hosts and bills me, and do you resell the hyperscalers?

Accepted Answer

In South Africa the supplier is 4Sight Systems, hosting in Johannesburg and billing in Rand. In the UK, Europe, and the United States the supplier is Q&A ERP Solutions Ltd, which is the reseller for AWS, Azure, Hetzner, and Google Cloud, hosting in-region. You get one invoice and one point of contact, without taking on a hyperscaler billing account yourself.

Question 7

How does VAT work on these prices?

Accepted Answer

VAT follows the place of supply. Q&A is VAT-registered in the UK, so UK invoices carry 20% VAT. Q&A is VAT-registered in South Africa, so Rand invoices carry 15% VAT. Invoices outside the UK and South Africa, such as Europe and the United States, are zero-rated, so no VAT is added.

Question 8

What is the difference between self-managed and fully-managed hosting?

Accepted Answer

Self-managed means you rent raw infrastructure, a budget VPS for example, and you run the operating system, the database, backups, and patching yourself. The low from-prices belong to that model. Fully-managed means we run the whole stack, monitoring, backups, security, and support, and bill a single predictable fee.

Question 9

What does fully-managed Sage hosting actually cost?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the region, the software, and the user count. South African pricing is firm in Rand from a 4Sight quote. UK, European, and US pricing is delivered by Q&A on the in-region hyperscaler. The Sage hosting proposal shows a worked example per region, and a discovery call returns a firm quote for your exact user count.

Where to Host Your ERP and Finance Systems

Microsoft Azure

Amazon Web Services

Google Cloud

Specialist Sage Hosting

Sage Hosted

Odoo.sh

Acumatica Cloud

Vendor-Hosted Notes

Sage X3

Sage Intacct

Odoo

Frequently Asked Questions

Not Sure Which Option Fits?