Multisoft taken into Sage?s fold

Restructure at accountancy software vendor brings independent high-end division to heel

Accountancy software firm Sage has folded the Multisoft division into its organisation following the departure of the managing director, Tony Nicholls, last month.

Nicholls resigned from Multisoft almost three years to the day after Sage?s #4 million purchase of Multisoft in July 1994.

The acquisition was made to plug a gap at the high end of the market for financial software. Multisoft specialises in products for PC-based networks and Unix systems aimed at large and medium businesses. Sage MD Graham Wylie has taken over responsibility for Multisoft.

As part of the restructure, the Multisoft business will no longer operate as a separate business. It will trade as a division under Sage?s name and its Premier and Prestige ranges of software will be rebranded as Sage products.

The Multisoft products will no longer be sold direct. Instead, a reseller support group will pass on leads, answer customers? questions and provide telephone support and training for dealers. The vendor claimed that the move would remove any channel conflict.

According to a representative for Sage, the company ?has a strong dealer community which it relies on to provide high levels of customer service?.

She added that reaction from dealers to the restructure had been positive.

Following Nicholls? departure, Richard Fisher, ex-head of enterprise systems, has been promoted to general manager at Multisoft. Sage refused to comment on why Nicholls had resigned.

No other personnel changes are expected at the software vendor.

The company will embark on a series of nationwide roadshows in the autumn to further promote the whole Sage range and Multisoft?s place within it. The existing product line will not be changed, although investment in the client/server systems will continue.

Multisoft will remain based in Alton, while Sage will remain in Newcastle.