The latest Sage CRM Business Partner Advisory Council (BPAC) brought together Sage CRM partners, ISVs and solution providers from across the global community to discuss product strategy, roadmap priorities, partner innovation and the future direction of Sage CRM. The session was hosted by Jeff Richards, Head of Training Programme Development for Sage CRM, and featured contributions from partners and members of the Sage CRM leadership team.

A Clear Strategy for Sage CRM

A central theme throughout the meeting was Sage's renewed strategic vision and how Sage CRM fits within it. Jeff Richards explained that Sage CRM continues to have a clear and active roadmap, backed by investment in development resources, modern technologies and AI-assisted engineering practices. The objective is to combine the agility of a modern software team with the stability and trust associated with the Sage platform.

Partners were given insight into Sage's broader organisational messaging, centred around creating confidence for businesses and becoming the essential platform for organisations that need to get things right. The discussion highlighted how Sage CRM is evolving from being seen solely as an ERP extension toward becoming a broader business platform that provides trusted data, intelligent automation and AI-assisted insights.

The BPAC audience also discussed the growing role of Sage CRM as an integration platform connecting not only Sage ERP products such as Sage 200, Sage 300, Sage X3 and Sage Intacct, but also wider business ecosystems and third-party solutions.

Partner Innovation Spotlight: Pluto IFA

One of the highlights of the session was a presentation from Marios Theocharides, who introduced Pluto IFA, a new vertical solution developed on the Sage CRM platform for the financial advisory industry.

Built specifically for independent financial advisers and wealth management firms, Pluto IFA combines customer relationship management functionality with regulated financial advisory workflows and compliance capabilities. The solution supports multilingual and multi-currency environments, risk management, customer onboarding, financial planning and ongoing compliance reviews.

The presentation also demonstrated how Sage CRM's extensibility allows partners to create sophisticated industry-specific solutions while integrating with technologies such as Microsoft Graph, Microsoft Copilot, digital signature services and external financial platforms. Pluto IFA is already live in customer environments and serves as an example of how partners can leverage Sage CRM as a modern application platform.

Sage CRM 2026 R2 Progress

The meeting provided an update on the development work currently underway for Sage CRM 2026 R2. According to the roadmap presented during the session, the release remains on track for delivery to Sage operating companies in late September 2026, with a beta programme planned ahead of release.

Several significant enhancements were discussed, including:

• Additional Sage CRM Labs components aimed at improving usability and user experience.
• Continued platform modernisation through Java upgrades and support for newer security standards.
• Enhanced integration with Microsoft Entra for identity management and single sign-on scenarios.
• Ongoing improvements to the REST API and platform extensibility.
• Continued investment in security, scalability and performance improvements.

Particular interest was shown in the new Microsoft Entra integration capabilities, which will support modern authentication approaches, multi-factor authentication and seamless access experiences when deployed alongside appropriate infrastructure.

AI: From Strategy to Practical Implementation

Artificial intelligence remained a major focus of discussion throughout the meeting. Rather than pursuing AI for its own sake, Sage continues to position AI as a practical tool that delivers measurable value to customers and partners.

The session explored how Sage CRM's metadata-driven architecture provides a strong foundation for future AI capabilities. Because business entities, relationships and configurations are already described within the platform's metadata, Sage CRM is well positioned to provide contextual and secure AI experiences.

Partners were introduced to plans for an enriched semantic schema that will work alongside the existing REST API. The goal is to provide AI systems with a richer understanding of business data relationships while maintaining the same security controls that govern user access today. This approach is intended to help partners accelerate AI innovation while ensuring customer data remains protected and governed appropriately.

The meeting also included an update on replacing the existing Sage CRM Ally user assistance experience with the Sage Semantic Engine, aligning Sage CRM more closely with AI investments across the wider Sage portfolio.

Growing Partner Collaboration

The BPAC concluded with an open discussion about partner enablement, integrations and future collaboration opportunities. Updates were shared on partner training initiatives, analyst engagement activity, marketplace growth and upcoming educational content planned to coincide with future releases.

Several partners also highlighted new integration solutions and marketplace opportunities that support Sage CRM's evolving strategy as an integration and business platform. The discussion reinforced BPAC's role as a forum where partners can validate strategic direction, share market feedback and help shape future priorities.

Watch the Full Recording

If you were unable to attend the session live, or would like to revisit the discussions and demonstrations, the complete recording of the Sage CRM Business Partner Advisory Council (BPAC) meeting is available on the Sage Support and Training YouTube Channel. The recording includes the full strategy update, product roadmap review, partner presentations and Q&A discussions covered during the event.

This BPAC session demonstrated that Sage CRM continues to evolve through modernisation, integration, security investment and practical AI innovation, with strong collaboration between Sage and its global partner community helping to shape the platform's future.