Red Business Systems

What Red Business Systems does

Red Business Systems is a UK-based IT solutions provider specialising in the sale, implementation, and support of Sage 50cloud, Sage 50 Manufacturing, and Cim50 Manufacturing software. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Cheltenham, the company serves small and medium-sized UK manufacturers and accounting-led businesses, delivering end-to-end services from software selection through implementation, configuration, training, and ongoing tiered support. The firm operates as an accredited channel partner for Sage UK Limited and CIM Software, and claims over 20 years of domain experience with 150+ Sage Manufacturing implementations and 40+ Cim50 installations since 2019.

The core product portfolio centres on three platforms. Sage 50cloud provides accounting functionality for up to 20 users with cloud connectivity, Making Tax Digital compliance, and integrations to Microsoft Office 365, GoCardless, Sage Drive, and Sage Intelligence Reporting. Sage 50 Manufacturing adds Bill of Materials, Batch Controller, Job Controller, and Manufacturing Controller modules, the last using Preactor International for finite-capacity graphical planning. Cim50, the firm's primary growth product, is a modular manufacturing system that fully integrates with Sage 50 Accounts and adds Stock Control, multi-level Bills of Materials, Works Orders, MRP-based Planning, Quotations, Shop Floor Data Capture, and a Graphical Scheduler. Supporting infrastructure includes hosted Remote Desktop Services via Your Office Anywhere (ISO 27001 certified) and Data Analytics delivered through a PCM Analytics partnership using Microsoft Power BI.

The business model combines one-time software license resale, recurring support subscriptions across Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers, hourly professional services (£300/half day, £575/full day), pay-as-you-go remote support at £75/hour, and monthly hosted desktop subscriptions (~£235/month). Distribution is sales-led and direct-to-SME, supplemented by Sage and CIM Software partner-channel referral flow. The firm has 1-10 employees and is led by Managing Director Phil Stephens. There are no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or M&A activity, consistent with a founder-led independent operator.

Name

Red Business Systems

Legal name

Red Business Systems

Website

https://redbusinesssystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Red Business Systems is a UK-based IT solutions provider that sells, implements, and supports Sage 50cloud, Sage 50 Manufacturing, and Cim50 software for small and medium-sized UK manufacturers, operating as an accredited channel partner for Sage UK and CIM Software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

ERP and Manufacturing Software Implementation Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer and Computer Peripheral Equipment and Software Merchant Wholesalers (423430), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAEAI

ERP, CRM & Enterprise Applications Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Technology & Digital Consulting

SECONDARYBPAEAOAC

Software License Resale & Optimization (Perpetual/Subscription)

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/IT Asset Management & Software Licensing Services

SECONDARYEDABAFAJ

Enterprise Applications & ERP/CRM (SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Workday)

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Technical & IT Skills Training

Keywords

• Sage software reselling
• Manufacturing software support
• ERP implementation services
• Accounts software consulting
• IT infrastructure hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheltenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Sales (Sage and Cim50): Resale of Sage 50cloud, Sage 50 Manufacturing, and Cim50 Manufacturing software licenses. Revenue generated from initial software purchases, module additions, and user licenses.
2. Support Contracts (Silver, Gold, Platinum): Recurring support contracts providing telephone, remote access, email support, software updates, and professional services. Three tiers available with varying levels of on-site and remote assistance.
3. Professional Services: On-site and remote consultancy services including software implementation, configuration, data migration, training delivery, and report customisation. Charged at hourly or daily rates.
4. On-Demand Support: Pay-as-you-go remote support services for customers without support contracts, charged at £75 per hour for telephone and remote access assistance.
5. Hosted Desktop Services: Monthly subscription for managed Windows server hosting of Sage 50 and Cim50, provided through partnership with Your Office Anywhere. Includes setup fees and monthly recurring charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Red Business Systems resells, implements and supports Sage 50cloud accounting software, Sage 50 Manufacturing production software and Cim50 modular manufacturing software for UK small and medium-sized manufacturing and accounting businesses. The company delivers these software products alongside tiered support contracts, on-demand remote support, professional implementation and training services, hosted Remote Desktop infrastructure and Power BI-based data analytics.

Product overview

Red Business Systems is a specialist IT solutions provider offering Sage business software and manufacturing solutions. The core product portfolio centers on three main products: Sage 50cloud (accounts software), Sage 50 Manufacturing (shop floor automation), and Cim50 (modular manufacturing system). Sage 50cloud provides accounting functionality with cloud connectivity for up to 20 users, while Sage 50 Manufacturing offers production control through Bill of Materials, Batch Controller, Job Controller, and Manufacturing Controller modules. Cim50, built on CIM's 100+ years of manufacturing expertise, provides enhanced capabilities including Stock Control, Works Orders, Planning, Quotations, Shop Floor Data Capture, and Graphical Scheduler modules that integrate with Sage 50 Accounts. The company also offers complementary support services (Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers), Professional Services for implementation and training, hosted Remote Desktop infrastructure, and Microsoft Power BI-based Data Analytics. Products are available through supply, implementation, configuration, consultancy, and ongoing support services delivered remotely or on-site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sage 50cloud

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sage UK LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRed Business Systems is an accredited Sage partner, reselling and providing implementation and support services for Sage 50cloud, Sage 50 Manufacturing, and related Sage products. Sage UK Limited is the primary software vendor providing the core accounting and manufacturing software platforms.
• CIM SoftwarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRed Business Systems is a Cim50 Accredited Partner, reselling and providing implementation and support services for Cim50 Manufacturing software. CIM Software develops the Cim50 product range, which Red Business Systems has installed for over 40 manufacturing companies since 2019.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bytes Technology Group: UK-listed IT software licensing reseller and managed services provider. Comparable as a UK IT/software reseller but with a much broader vendor portfolio, larger enterprise customer focus, and public-company scale.
• The Access Group: Large UK-based business software provider offering ERP, accounting, and manufacturing solutions including Access Dimensions and Access Financials. Competes in the same UK SME manufacturing software market but with proprietary products and at much larger scale.
• IRIS Software Group: Major UK accounting and ERP software vendor (owner of Pegasus Software and IRIS Accountancy Suite). Competes in the UK SME accounting/manufacturing software space with proprietary products and a much broader market reach than a Sage channel partner.
• K3 Syspro: Larger UK-based ERP solutions provider and Sage partner, offering a broader portfolio including SYSPRO and Sage X3. Comparable business model (Sage partner, UK manufacturing focus) but at significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Integrity Software: UK Sage partner specialising in Sage 50 and manufacturing ERP solutions for SMEs, including stock control, BOM, and production planning. Closely comparable as a UK Sage manufacturing specialist with similar target customer profile and product set.
• Azzurro Associates: UK-based Sage 50 Accredited Partner offering implementation, training, and support services for Sage 50 and manufacturing modules. Directly comparable as a UK Sage partner serving manufacturing SMEs with similar implementation and support service mix.
• Eque2: UK Sage development partner building industry-specific ERP solutions on the Sage platform for construction, manufacturing, and field service businesses. Comparable as a UK-based Sage platform partner serving SMEs with implementation and ongoing support services.
• Cloud9 Software Solutions: UK Sage 50 business partner offering software supply, implementation, training, and ongoing support. Directly comparable in size, service mix, and target customer (UK SMEs requiring Sage accounting and operational software).
• Quantic UK: UK Sage 50 and Sage 200 partner providing implementation, training, and support to SME customers. Comparable as a UK Sage channel partner with similar service-led business model serving small and mid-sized businesses.

Emerging players

• Access Paysuite (formerly Paysuite): UK Sage-aligned payments and integration specialist working with Sage 50 partners and customers. Comparable as a UK Sage ecosystem participant, though more specialised in payments rather than full ERP implementation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/red4sage
• Facebookfacebook.com/RedBusinessSystems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/red-business-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red Business Systems