Compliance · Seven years as standard

When your ERP journey takes you elsewhere, your records still need to be there.

Moving from Sage 200 to a different ERP - or from Sage 50 to a modern bookkeeping platform - doesn't free you from HMRC retention. Archive hosting keeps your old environment quietly available, read-only, for as long as you need to keep the records.

A clean exit from the old finance system

Switch the old
server off - but
not the compliance.

You've chosen a new ERP. The data extract didn't capture everything. HMRC still expects you to produce records on request. The old server is now a liability nobody on the IT team wants to touch.

Seven years as standard

Run the archive for the retention period your finance team agrees with their accountant - seven years as standard, longer on request.

Read-only by design

The archive isn't transacting. No nightly posting jobs, no integrations live. Just look-up and report.

Single-user typical

One seat is the usual shape. Finance pulls something out when they need to. The rest of the time it sits quietly.

Your licence, brought with you

You bring your existing Sage licence (single-user read-only is typical). We host the environment around it.

Decommission the old server

Once the archive is verified, you can switch the on-premises hardware off and stop paying for it.

UK only, secure as the main platform

Same Azure UK South region, same security posture as the live hosting product. Not a second-class environment.

Two archive products

One for Sage 200.
One for Sage 50.

Both are direct-quote. Email us the licence position, we'll come back with a number within one working day. No portal configurator, no surprise add-ons later.

Sage 200 archive

Most common

For customers leaving Sage 200 for a different ERP - whatever the destination - but who must keep the old Sage 200 records reachable.

from £191 / mo · per Sage 200 licence

On a 12-month contract. For new customers there is a one-off £950 setup to build the archive environment, migrate the database, and verify the read-only seat works; if we already host your Sage 200, there is no setup charge.

Where to start → Talk to your Sage reseller about your licence position, then send us the details. We'll quote within one working day.

Request a quote

Sage 50 archive

For S50 customers

For Sage 50 customers moving to another bookkeeping platform but still required to keep the old accounts available for the retention period.

from £132 / mo · per Sage 50 licence

On a 12-month contract. For new customers there is a one-off £475 setup; if we already host your Sage 50, there is no setup charge. Smaller environment, lighter price; same UK-only hosting and security as Sage 200 archive.

Where to start → Talk to Sage directly about your Sage 50 licence position. Then forward us what they confirm and we'll quote.

Request a quote

From live system to compliant archive

Six steps,
typically over a weekend.

You don't trade out of the old system during the week. You finish the month, we archive, you decommission.

Tell us the licence position

For Sage 200, your reseller confirms the single-user read-only position. For Sage 50, you confirm with Sage directly.

We build the archive

A small VM, your Sage licence, a copy of your final database. Read-only seat. We test it works before you stop the live system.

You cut over and switch off

Finance closes the period in the old system one last time. We take the final database snapshot. You decommission the on-premises server.

It sits quietly until you need it

Auditor asks for a 2019 transaction? Finance logs in, runs the report, logs out. Most months you forget the archive exists.

We monitor and patch

Same security posture as the live hosting product. Backups continue. The archive doesn't drift out of supportable territory.

Retire it when the clock runs out

When the retention period ends, we export the final database to you and decommission the archive. No long tail.

Compliance questions we get

Archive hosting,
answered.

How long do I have to keep my old Sage records?

HMRC generally expects companies to keep accounting records for at least six years, and longer in some cases. mybusiness Sage Archive hosting keeps your old Sage 200 or Sage 50 system read-only and available for seven years as standard, longer on request, so you stay compliant after moving to a new finance system. This is general guidance, not legal advice. Your own retention obligations can vary, so please check what applies to your business.

How much does archive hosting cost?

From £191 per month per Sage 200 licence, or £132 per month per Sage 50 licence, on a 12-month contract. For new customers there is a one-off setup fee (£950 for Sage 200, £475 for Sage 50); if we already host your system, there is no setup charge. We give you a direct quote within one working day.

Can we still open and read the old data?

Yes. Your original Sage system runs read-only on a small dedicated VM in Microsoft Azure UK South. When an auditor asks for a 2019 transaction, finance logs in, runs the report, and logs out. Most months you forget it is there.

What about our old Sage licence?

For Sage 200, your reseller confirms the single-user read-only licence position; for Sage 50, you confirm directly with Sage. We build the archive around that.

What happens when the retention period ends?

We export the final database back to you and decommission the archive. No long tail and no lingering cost.

Is the archived data secure and kept in the UK?

Yes. It has the same security posture as our live hosting, in Azure UK South with UK backups. Your data does not leave the UK.