Choose how and where your Sage X3 environment is managed
Sage X3 can be deployed through Sage X3 Cloud, within a privately hosted cloud environment or on infrastructure controlled by your own organisation.
Whichever option you choose, your users can access the extensive finance, manufacturing, distribution and supply chain capabilities of Sage X3. What changes is who takes responsibility for the underlying infrastructure, monitoring, maintenance, security and associated costs.
What is Sage X3 Cloud?
Sage X3 Cloud is a Sage-managed option, with Sage providing and managing the cloud infrastructure supporting your X3 environment. This combines the flexibility and operational depth of Sage X3 with a simpler approach to infrastructure management.
Inixion can help you assess your operational requirements, integrations, data residency and IT strategy to determine the most appropriate deployment model.
How does Sage X3 Cloud work?
The Sage-managed option provides a dedicated cloud environment for Sage X3.
Rather than purchasing and maintaining your own servers or arranging hosting through a separate provider, Sage provisions and manages the cloud infrastructure supporting your X3 environment. Sage also takes responsibility for areas such as infrastructure monitoring, platform updates, backups and core security.
Each customer’s environment is separately provisioned, with dedicated databases, containers and URLs providing isolation between customer environments.
Importantly, moving infrastructure management to Sage doesn’t mean losing the flexibility for which Sage X3 is known. The solution can still be configured and customised around complex manufacturing, distribution, finance and international business requirements.
Inixion remains your Sage X3 implementation and consultancy partner. We configure the solution around your processes, deliver your implementation, integrations and training, and provide ongoing support.
Why consider Sage X3 Cloud?
Is Sage X3 Cloud a SaaS solution?
Sage X3 Cloud provides many of the commercial and operational advantages associated with cloud software, but it is not a conventional multi-tenant SaaS application.
Sage X3 is designed to support complex organisations with demanding manufacturing, distribution, finance and international requirements. Each cloud customer therefore has an individual, single-tenant environment.
This approach provides more control over configuration, integrations and upgrade timing, while allowing Sage to manage the underlying cloud infrastructure.
Compare the three Sage X3 deployment options
| Deployment option | Where it runs | Infrastructure managed by | Commercial approach | May suit businesses that |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage X3 Cloud | Sage-managed cloud environment | Sage | Sage X3 subscription including Sage-managed cloud hosting | Want to reduce internal infrastructure responsibilities and have the cloud environment managed by Sage |
| Privately hosted Sage X3 | Private cloud, AWS, Azure, data centre or other hosting environment | Your organisation or chosen hosting provider | Sage X3 subscription plus separate hosting/infrastructure | Have an established cloud strategy or specific hosting-provider requirements |
| On-premises Sage X3 | Infrastructure owned or controlled by your organisation | Internal IT team or infrastructure provider | Sage X3 subscription plus infrastructure costs | Require direct control over hardware, infrastructure or data location |
Can a complex or bespoke Sage X3 system run in the cloud?
Yes. The Sage-managed cloud option can still be configured and customised around complex business requirements.
Standard Sage X3 development tools, X3 Builder and supported APIs can be used to extend and integrate the solution, provided developments follow Sage’s cloud-compatible standards. Sage’s cloud model supports many of the same configuration and customisation capabilities available with privately hosted and on-premises Sage X3.
There are, however, some technical differences.
For example, direct SQL access to production databases isn’t available. Integrations should instead use supported technologies such as SOAP, REST and GraphQL APIs or built-in Sage X3 tools.
New Sage X3 implementations can be designed around these cloud requirements from the outset. Existing customers considering a move to the Sage-managed cloud environment may need their developments, integrations and add-ons assessed first.
Moving an existing Sage X3 system to the cloud
Already using Sage X3? Moving to the Sage-managed cloud environment may also be possible.
Inixion can assess your existing environment to determine its suitability and identify any technical changes that may be required before migration. The assessment can consider:
- Your Sage X3 version and existing infrastructure
- Bespoke developments and modifications
- Integrations with other applications
- Direct database connections
- Third-party add-ons
- Countries and legislations used
- Data-residency requirements
- User numbers and transaction volumes
- Existing reporting requirements
- Testing and update requirements
Older integrations or developments that rely on direct access to the Sage X3 database or underlying infrastructure may need to be redesigned using supported cloud-compatible technologies. Sage confirms, for example, that production database access is through APIs and built-in X3 tools rather than direct SQL access.
Where changes are needed, Inixion can help you plan the technical work required to make your Sage X3 environment cloud-ready.
Which Sage X3 deployment option is right for you?
For many new implementations, the Sage-managed cloud option provides an attractive combination of Sage X3 functionality and flexibility with fewer infrastructure responsibilities for your internal IT team.
However, deployment shouldn’t be decided in isolation. Your existing infrastructure, integrations, countries of operation, transaction volumes, internal IT strategy, regulatory requirements and future plans should all be considered.
As a Sage X3 partner with 20 years in the Sage ecosystem and experience implementing Sage X3 across five continents, Inixion can help you assess the options and choose a deployment model that supports both your immediate requirements and long-term plans.
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