Run Sage on a Windows server that stays in France
Move your accounting software off the office PC: an always-on Windows machine in France, reachable over RDP by your whole team.
Starting at €13/mo
Introduction
Hosting Sage on a remote server means taking the accounting software off the machine under the desk and putting it on a box that stays powered on, is reachable from anywhere and can be rolled back with a snapshot. At By-Hoster the configuration we recommend for this is Windows - Plus at €13/month incl. VAT: 8 vCores, 16 GB of RAM, 200 GB of SSD and 500 Mbps. The server is delivered in 10 minutes with its dedicated IPv4 address and Administrator account.
Why not the €8/month entry plan? Our published rule of thumb is 8 GB of RAM as soon as you add business software — and Sage rarely arrives alone. There is the database behind it, often SQL Server, then one or two RDP sessions open all day with a browser, mail client and spreadsheet. Stacked together, those layers fill the 8 GB of the Core plan. The 16 GB in Windows - Plus leave headroom for the busy stretches, month-end being the obvious one.
What we supply is the machine: the Windows system, RDP access, the infrastructure and human 24/7 support. The Sage licence, its installation and its configuration remain yours or your integrator's — we are not a reseller, not a partner and not the vendor's support desk. Same for the Microsoft licence. The server runs in our single DC-FR_NA(01) datacenter in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, operated directly by the association's technical team.
What the server includes, and what it does not
16 GB of RAM on the Plus plan
Windows - Plus at €13/month: 8 vCores, 16 GB of RAM, 200 GB of SSD, 500 Mbps. It is the most popular configuration, and the one that leaves room for business software, its database and two RDP sessions open at the same time.
2 administrative RDP sessions
Windows Server allows 2 concurrent administrative RDP sessions. Beyond that, opening application RDP access to more colleagues requires Microsoft RDS CAL licences, which you buy yourself. We neither supply nor resell them.
A snapshot before every upgrade
Trigger a snapshot from the client area before a version upgrade, run the update, and roll back if the result is not what you expected. A full reinstall is also available on your own, from that same client area.
NVMe storage, dedicated IPv4, Anti-DDoS
NVMe storage, a dedicated IPv4 address, Anti-DDoS protection, a fallback VNC console and full administrator access, included on all four configurations. No commitment, 48-hour money-back guarantee, human 24/7 support by ticket, Discord and phone.
What a dedicated Sage server is for
Replacing the office server
No more tower humming in a cupboard, no UPS to watch and no drive to swap on a Friday evening. The machine lives in a French datacenter and you only manage what is on it.
Two accountants on the same financial year
No more copy of the ledger travelling on a USB stick or by email: each person opens an RDP session on the machine where the data lives. The 2 administrative sessions cover a pair; past that, RDS CALs are required.
Remote work off a single install
Sage is installed once, on the server. Your colleagues connect over RDP from the office, from home or from a second site: one version to maintain, nothing to resynchronise at night.
Giving your accountant access
Create a dedicated Windows user account rather than emailing exports around. The scope of that access, and whether it fits your engagement letter, remains your call.
Sage and its database on one machine
The database engine runs next to Sage on the same server, so the traffic between the two no longer crosses the office network. If your deployment uses SQL Server, its licence is on you — Express is free within its 10 GB per database limit.
Changing size without moving house
One more colleague, a heavier year than the last: you take the configuration above, Max (32 GB) or Titan (64 GB), instead of buying another tower. Annual billing takes 10% off.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You get a complete Windows machine with administrator access: you install your accounting software on it exactly as you would on a physical server, and you connect over RDP. One honest clarification: By-Hoster is not a Sage partner, reseller or certified provider. We supply the machine, its operating system and its network, and that is what our 24/7 support covers; installing the software and keeping it running is down to you or your integrator.
We recommend Windows - Plus at €13/month: 8 vCores, 16 GB of RAM, 200 GB of SSD. Our rule of thumb is 8 GB as soon as business software is added, but an accounting suite comes with its database and RDP sessions open all day, so the 8 GB of the Core plan disappear fast. For many concurrent users or several heavy applications, aim at Windows - Max (32 GB, €26/month).
Four configurations, monthly prices incl. VAT: Core at €8 (4 vCores, 8 GB, 50 GB SSD), Plus at €13 (8 vCores, 16 GB, 200 GB), Max at €26 (16 vCores, 32 GB, 500 GB) and Titan at €49.99 (24 vCores, 64 GB, 800 GB, 1000 Mbps). Annual billing takes 10% off. That price covers the machine and the support; it does not include the Microsoft licence, the Sage licence, RDS CALs or SQL Server.
Neither. We do not resell business-software licences and we do not provide support for the application itself. Your Sage licence stays yours, and the installation is done by you or by your usual integrator, over RDP on the server. Our 24/7 support covers the machine: operating system, network, RDP access, snapshots, reinstallation. For an accounting configuration question, your Sage provider remains the right contact.
Windows Server allows 2 concurrent administrative RDP sessions. That is enough for two people to work, or for an integrator to step in while you are connected. To open application RDP access to more colleagues, Microsoft requires RDS CAL licences that you buy yourself: we do not supply them. Budget the matching RAM as well, since every open session takes its share — one more argument for 16 GB.
That depends on your edition and deployment — check with your integrator. What we can state: SQL Server needs its own licence. Express is free but capped at 10 GB per database, 1 socket or 4 cores and 1.4 GB of RAM for the engine. Standard and Enterprise are paid Microsoft editions. None of that is included in our pricing: we deliver the operating system, you install the rest.
The method the machine allows: trigger a snapshot from the client area right before the upgrade, run it, test on one ledger, and roll back if something breaks. To be clear: only snapshots are included, there is no automatic off-site backup of your accounting files. Keep your own archiving policy outside the server.
In our single DC-FR_NA(01) datacenter in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, operated directly by the association's technical team. Virtualisation runs on KVM with Proxmox. Your data stays under French jurisdiction, within the GDPR framework, with no transfer outside the European Union. By-Hoster is a French non-profit association (RNA W162005815, SIRET 92395660100010) founded in 2023. We claim no sector certification, and we would rather say so.
Technically yes, and that is the main use case here. What goes away: hardware to depreciate, the UPS, ageing drives, a room to keep cool. What appears: a dependency on your Internet connection, since everything travels over RDP. On our side the RDP access is tuned up to 60 FPS; how smooth it actually feels also depends on your own line, which is not something we measure. So do plan a fallback in case your connection drops.
Three systems are offered at checkout, at no extra cost: Windows Server 2025 (latest LTSC release, security updates until 14 November 2034), Windows Server 2022 (security until 14 October 2031) if your vendor only certifies that one, and Windows 11, which belongs on a personal workstation because it is a client operating system, not designed to host a multi-user service. The choice can be changed later through a reinstall from the client area.