How many Sage 50 licenses should I purchase?
In October 2018, Sage started enforcing their Sage 50 EULA that had been in existence in their software since 2011. Unfortunately, people familiar with how it used to work are purchasing new software with the wrong number of users and it won’t work on all of the machines as it used to.
Below you will see an excerpt of Sage 50s 2019 EULA and an exerpt from Sage 50 2019 “Help” section regarding user requirements. This information will help you determine how many licenses you will need to purchase to keep your business running smoothly.
Sage 50 EULA Section 3.1 Type of License:
(a) Single User.
If your License to use the Program is a single-user license, the Program and related data may be: (i) installed on only one computer or workstation, or personal digital assistance, pager, “smart phone” or other similar electronic device which You own or use and for which the Program is designed to operate (a “Client Device”); and (ii) accessed and used only by the individual to whom the Program is licensed. The component parts of the Program may not be installed or used individually or jointly in full or in part on more than one Client Device, unless otherwise set forth herein. You may purchase additional installs of your License if You would like to install the Program on an additional Client Device for back-up purposes or home/remote use.
(b) Multi-User.
If your license to use the Program is a multi-user license, or You have licensed more than one single-user version of the Program, the Program and related data may be: (i) installed on (x) up to the number of Client Devices corresponding to the maximum number of licensed Named Users or other pre-defined limit authorized by the License; or (y) a local area network provided that the number of Client Devices permitted to access the Program is limited to the maximum number of licensed Named Users or other pre-defined limit authorized by the License; or (z) a server and up to the number of Client Devices corresponding to the maximum number of licensed Named Users or other pre-defined limit authorized by the License; and (ii) accessed and used by not more than the maximum number of licensed Named Users authorized by the License. A Named User means the individuals listed and selected in the user maintenance screen of the Program. The number of defined Named Users may not exceed the number of licenses purchased up to the pre-defined limit.
(c) In accordance with Section 5 of this Agreement, if You are entitled to use Sage Drive, You will also be permitted to install the Program on one (1) additional Client Device in addition to the number of installations allowed in this Agreement to facilitate the sharing of the Program data through Sage Drive.
Excerpt from Sage 50 2019 – Help tab >Help topics> Index > licensing Sage 50 users:
To access a Sage 50 company, a user must be licensed. When you start granting new users security and access rights, Sage 50 will automatically license as many users as you have licenses for. For example, if you have five licenses according to your agreement, Sage 50 will automatically license the first five users for which you set up security/access rights.
When all licenses are assigned, unlicensed users will be prevented from opening Sage 50 companies. A company administrator can modify license assignments to change who has a license to access Sage 50 companies and who does not. Licensing does not impact user security access to Sage 50 companies and should not be used as a means of limiting access to companies. Rather, user security should be configured to limit rights to access Sage 50 companies and to restrict tasks performed within Sage 50 companies.
Getting the maximum number of licenses for your office:
To have more licenses available, you can activate the serial numbers for all single-user units of Sage 50 in your office. If you have five single-user units, activating all of them will give you a total of five licenses. Similarly, if you have a multi-pack version of Sage 50, activating your multi-pack version will automatically give you the number of licenses that you purchased.
If you’re running out of licenses:
If you run out of licenses but want to add a new user to the system, you may need to unlicense one of the existing users to add the new one. You remove the license from a user by unchecking the Licensed checkbox beside his/her user name in the Sage 50 User Security window. Since generally only the company administrator has access to the User Security window, the administrator will have to perform this task.
Note, however, that if you remove the license from a user, that user will automatically be licensed the next time he or she logs into Sage 50 as long as a license is available. So as company administrator, especially if you are running out of licenses, you’ll want to assign licenses only to those people you want to have access.
In some cases, you’ll be able to add licenses for your business. To learn about options for purchasing additional licenses, please contact us:
Logging in to a company if no licensed user is present: In the event that there are no licensed users in the office, you may not be able to log in to your Sage 50 company. Say the only licensed user is absent one day. In that case, you will need to clear all user licenses; then you’ll be able to open the Sage 50 company.
To clear all licenses, do the following:
- Start Sage 50 OR if you are currently working in a Sage 50 company, from the File menu, select Close Company.
- From the Help menu, select Customer Support and Services, and then select Clear User Licenses.
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Q & A – Do you still have a question about how many users you need to purchase? Here are some examples…
I have one server, four workstations and four employees that use Sage 50. How many users/seats do I need? Answer 5 ( You would need a license for the Server and one for each of the client machines.)
I have a peer to peer network with four workstations and four employees that use Sage 50. How many users/seats do I need? Answer 4
I have two employees, three workstations and one server. How many users/seats do I need? Answer 4 (one for each machine that will access Sage 50 on a full or part-time basis)
I am the only user in my company and have one computer, but want to share my Sage 50C data through Sage drive with my accountant. How many users/seats do I need? Answer 2, if the accountant is not part of the Sage Accountant’s network. If they are, you will only need 1 for yourself.
I am the only user in my company and have one computer. I want to access my Sage 50C data through Sage drive using my home laptop? How many users/seats do I need? Answer 2 one for each machine where Sage 50 is installed.
If you still have questions regarding Sage 50 and how many licenses you need or which version is best for you, please call us. We have been in business for 14 years. Our clients have made us one of the largest Sage 50 resellers in North America. You are welcome to join them and become a customer too. We would love to have you!
To purchase additional licenses for your existing software please contact Best Business Strategies.
Shirley Byard, Owner 304-233-2612,