# Your accounts software, on a server you no longer have to look after.

> If your accounts or ERP package still needs a Windows server in the office, we can run that server for you in London. Your team keeps using the same software over Remote Desktop, from the office or from home; we patch, monitor and back up the server and move everything across for free. You keep your software licences and your software partner.

Source: https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software · Last updated 21 October 2026 · WharfCloud

## At a glance

- **Server location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Server price:** £119/month (list £149/month)
- **Software:** Sage 50, Sage 200, Pegasus Opera 3, Access and similar
- **Access:** Remote Desktop with multi-factor sign-in
- **Migration:** Included, free of charge
- **Human support:** Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time

## Software we host

- [Sage 50 Accounts](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/sage-50): Your Sage 50 Accounts data and program on one managed Windows server in London, reached over Remote Desktop.
- [Sage 200 Professional](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/sage-200): Windows Server, SQL Server and Remote Desktop built to Sage's 2025 R2 requirements, managed in London.
- [Pegasus Opera 3](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/pegasus-opera-3): Opera 3 or Opera 3 SQL SE on a dedicated Remote Desktop server in London, on Windows Server 2025.
- [Microsoft Access](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/microsoft-access): Your Access back-end and each user's front-end on one managed Windows server in London, used over Remote Desktop.

## Who this is for

- Firms whose accounts or ERP software runs on a server in a cupboard, and nobody wants to own that server any more.
- Teams that work from home part of the week and fight with VPNs or shared data files.
- Anyone with a Windows Server 2016 machine: Microsoft ends extended support on 12 January 2027. Several servers? Our [Windows Server 2016 migration plan](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/windows-server-2016-end-of-support) (£525 (list £750)) maps them first.
- Businesses preparing for Cyber Essentials, where unsupported software on a server in scope is a fail. See our [Cyber Essentials guide](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/guides/cyber-essentials-unsupported-software).

## Office server, hosted server or the vendor's cloud?

Table: Three ways to run Windows business software

|  | Server in your office | Hosted server (WharfCloud) | Vendor's own cloud product |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Software you use | Your current version | Your current version | Often a different product, with retraining and data conversion |
| Hardware, power, replacement | Yours | Handled for you, in a London data centre | Vendor's |
| Windows patching and backups | You or your IT firm | Us: critical updates within 14 days | Vendor's |
| Working from home | VPN or remote tools to set up | Remote Desktop from anywhere you allow | Browser |
| Add-ons and integrations | Work as today | Work as today, installed on the server | Depends on the vendor |
| Cost shape | Hardware every few years plus your time | Fixed monthly fee | Per-user subscription |

Hosting is the right step when you want to keep the software you know and stop running hardware. If your vendor's cloud product does everything you need, moving to it may be simpler; we will say so.

## Licences: what stays yours and what we provide

- **Windows Server:** included in our monthly price.
- **Remote Desktop user access:** one licence per person who connects, quoted with your server.
- **Your business software:** stays yours, used on the hosted server within its user limits.
- **Microsoft Office on the server:** Microsoft 365 Apps on a shared Remote Desktop server need shared computer activation, which Microsoft includes with Business Premium and enterprise plans but not with Business Standard. We check this with you.
- **SQL Server**, where the software needs it (Sage 200, Opera 3 SQL SE): edition chosen to match the vendor's requirements and quoted with your server.

## What we will not host

We do not build servers on Windows versions that are out of support or close to it, and we do not host software its vendor has discontinued. For example, Intuit discontinued QuickBooks Desktop in the UK: support ended on 30 June 2023, and Intuit says HMRC stopped accepting Making Tax Digital VAT submissions from it on 7 April 2024. Moving it to a server would not make it safe or compliant, so we would help you plan a move off it instead.

## How to start

1. **Tell us what you run.** Software, version, number of users, add-ons, and who your software partner is.
2. **Get a fixed price.** We confirm licensing and send a fixed monthly price in writing. Nothing is set up before you pay.
3. **Trial on a copy.** We build the server, install your software with your partner and let a few users try it on a copy of your data.
4. **Switch on an agreed evening.** We move the live data, check it with you and leave your old server untouched until you are happy.

Support: engineers Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time; critical incidents Every day, 07:00 to 23:00 UK time, and a person responds to critical incidents within 1 hour. Full detail in our [support policy](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/support-policy).

## Price of the underlying server: Managed Windows Server

- **Standard:** £119/month intro price (first 50 customers), £149/month list price. Windows Server with licence, managed by us. Includes: Free migration from your current host; Critical and high-risk security updates within 14 days; Remote Desktop with multi-factor sign-in; Automated monitoring and recovery; Backups with restore help; Support in UK business hours.

Licensing is confirmed with you before setup.

Prices in GBP. No VAT is added: we are not VAT registered. Talk to us first: https://wharfcloud.co.uk/contact?topic=managed-windows-server

## Questions we get asked

### Which business software can you host?

Windows desktop and client-server software that its vendor supports on Windows Server with Remote Desktop, such as Sage 50 Accounts, Sage 200 Professional and Pegasus Opera 3, and in-house [Microsoft Access databases](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/microsoft-access). If your package is not listed, ask: we check the vendor's requirements before we quote.

### Is a hosted server the same as a hosted desktop?

Close. A hosted desktop usually means a full Windows desktop for each user. We host the server your business software needs and give your team Remote Desktop access to it, sized and licensed for that software.

### Do we still need our software partner?

Yes. Your Sage, Pegasus or other partner keeps supporting the software itself. We look after the server, its security, backups and monitoring, and work with them during the move.

### How much does it cost?

The Managed Windows Server is £119/month (list £149/month), with no VAT added. Remote Desktop user licences, SQL Server where needed and larger servers for bigger teams are quoted in writing before you pay.

### Where is the server?

In a data centre in London, United Kingdom.

### Is VAT added?

No. We are not VAT registered, so no VAT is added to our prices.

### Can we leave?

Yes. Your data is in your software's normal format and you can take a backup at any time. When a service ends we keep the data for 14 days so you can collect it, then delete it.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Lifecycle: Windows Server 2016](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2016)
- [Microsoft Learn: Shared computer activation for Microsoft 365 Apps](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/licensing-activation/overview-shared-computer-activation)
- [Intuit QuickBooks UK: QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-uk/discontinued-offering/quickbooks-desktop-discontinuation/00/953722)

Sage, Pegasus, Opera, Microsoft and Access are trademarks of their owners. WharfCloud is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.

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WharfCloud is a trading name of Sunucu Internet Services Consultancy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 12963678. Not VAT registered.
Support: engineers Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time. Critical incidents: A person responds to critical incidents within 1 hour (Every day, 07:00 to 23:00 UK time). Automated monitoring and automated recovery overnight and at weekends.
Contact: hello@wharfcloud.co.uk · https://wharfcloud.co.uk/contact