Schulz Consulting

Consulting and Upgrades

Managing a local server for Sage 100 – all risk, no reward

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IT can be a thankless job.

When’s the last time you told your IT person (or whomever it is that is responsible for your network), “Hey, great job keeping our server up and running and secure this month!”? Chances are you haven’t. They probably only hear from you when there’s a problem.

But if they’ve managed to keep your local server up and running continuously and you haven’t been impacted by a cyberattack (think phishing, ransomware, identity theft, malware, etc.) then they deserve some love. At least for this month.

Every month, new varieties of threats are cropping up, and it can be a full-time job to keep up with it all. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the role of Information Security Analyst, described as someone who will “plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems” to grow by 28% between 2016-2026. And at a median pay of nearly $100k, it’s not a cheap role to fill.

 

IT doesn’t get a second chance.

Have you ever tried to log in to your server and gotten an error? Maybe you just mistyped your password, but did your heart skip a beat?

What about backups? Many people only think about backups when they fear they may need to restore for some reason. “Do I have a recent backup? Did I back up the right files? Do I know how to restore them?”

Have you ever waited until the elements were at your door to try figure out how you will keep your business operational if your on-premises server is damaged or loses power?

 

IT can’t do it alone.

A recent survey of IT works showed that 62% of IT workers say that, “the biggest security threat comes from well-meaning but negligent end users”. In other words, the very people they’re paid to keep secure are the biggest threats they face.

Read: Yep, your IT guy blames you for your computer problems

 

What can you do to minimize the risks associated with having a local server?

For starters, read this article from the Sage cloud hosting experts at Summit Hosting on quick and easy ways to protect your data:

7 Ways to Help Keep Your Data Safe

You may also want to consider hosting Sage 100 / Sage 100cloud with a Sage hosting professional who is 100% dedicated to keeping your data secure.

Learn more at https://www.summithosting.com/sage-100-hosting/.

Sage 100 Cloud Hosting Promo – Expires 12/31/15

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Several consultants have mentioned that Sage is no longer actively enrolling Sage 100 Online customers. This means that third-party hosted Sage 100 is the only way to go for companies that want to host their Sage 100 off-site and in-the-cloud.

DSD Business Systems is having a promotion to introduce you to their hosted Sage 100 offering. No contract required during the 2 month free trial. See details below.

 

Sage 100 Cloud Hosting Promo — thru 12/31/15

Email  RobertE@dsdinc.com or submit your Sage 100 hosting inquiry online.

Limited Time Offer – No Obligation, No Set-up Costs!

Receive 2 months FREE Cloud Hosting & Setup
30-days of platinum level hosting support during business hours
Provided as a trial and no hosting contract required

  • Offer Includes:
  • All Production Servers and Storage required with 1 recovery and 1 fail-over environment
  • All Network Hosting Support (at a sliver level support plan)
  • All Microsoft licensing included
  • On-boarding, education, testing and go-live support
  • Offer expires December 31, 2015.

Sage is no longer offering Sage 100 Online. I think they may have announced this in some corner of their Sage newsletter a few months back.
DSD Hosting accommodates all the enhancements your client already has – plus probably a few they don’t yet have.

  • Custom Office = YES
  • Third Party Add-Ons = YES
  • Crystal Reports = YES
  • Visual Integrator = YES

Sage 100 ERP Hosting

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Are you considering hosting your Sage 100 ERP software someplace other than your company servers?

Cloud computing involves deploying (or more commonly renting) groups of remote servers and software networks that allow centralized data storage and online access to computer services or resources.

Clouds can be classified as

  • public  (Amazon EC2, Rackspace Cloud) – cloud infrastructure operated for the benefit of many groups, typically you share servers and computing resources
  • private – cloud infrastructure maintained solely for the benefit of one organization, typically dedicated servers and computing resources
  • hybrid – a combination of public and private – typically using more than one service provider

 

Some of the benefits of hosting Sage 100 outside of your company include:

  • Backups are  included and performed automatically for you
  • Power and facilities are managed and usually have some level of redundancy
  • Access your data from any web connected computer
  • One price for all licensing, maintenance and management
  • Improved security

What To Look For In  A Sage 100 ERP Cloud Host

Unless you have a very basic need for only the core Sage 100 ERP modules you’ll probably want to consider:

  • Does your host allow you to run not only Sage 100 ERP but also common add-ons (Starship, Scanforce, Crystal Reports, etc) – the most basic hosting providers, including Sage themselves,  may not?
  • Does your host have experience with setup and configuration of Sage 100 ERP – as well as the most common add-ons?
  • Does the monthly price include your Sage 100 ERP licenses and maintenance?
  • Who performs the Sage 100 ERP upgrades? Some hosts  include this while others may request  you use a separate consulting firm to manage the upgrade
  • How many other users will be on the server (if not private)? The less resources on a shared server the slower your accounting software may operate.
  • What is the contract commitment (if any)?
  • What is the guaranteed response time to restore important files – both on a routine  and emergency basis
  • Is Microsoft Office included in the hosting price? If not how much extra is the productivity tool per month?
  • How long as the provided been hosting Sage ERP products?
  • What other products are being hosted on the same server(s)?

Prior to moving your Sage 100 ERP off-site you should also consider the stability of your office internet connection. If you have a connection that is unstable or very slow you may  find  cloud hosting won’t work for you. Since most companies have fairly reliable (and fast) internet connections  there is seldom a concern about connectivity except for in the most remote of areas.

How Much Will Sage 100 ERP Hosting Cost ?

Prices for hosting vary. On the very low end you could pay as little as $ 25/mo (Amazon) for a “bring your own Sage 100 ERP ” setup which includes a desktop with remote access but you install and configure Sage 100 ERP yourself. Pricing for the Sage’s own hosting starts at $159 though Sage hosting does not allow for any customization of your ERP and few (if any) third party integrations. What Sage’s hosting does allow for is an inexpensive bundle of the Sage 100 ERP licenses along with hosting. For this reason the Sage option is usually best for smaller companies who don’t need customization and have 3 or fewer users.

Moving outside the “do-it-yourself” host (Amazon) and Sage’s basic hosting – expect to pay $ 150 – $200 per month for each user depending upon how the software licenses are initially acquired.

Limited Time Offer:

2 MONTHS FREE ENTERPRISE HOSTING SERVICE
NO OBLIGATION
NO SET-UP COSTS
Includes
· Receive 2 months FREE Cloud Hosting & Setup
· 30-days of platinum level hosting support during business hours
· Provided as a trial and no hosting contract required
Offer Includes:
· All Production Servers and Storage required with 1 recovery and 1 fail-over environment
· All Network Hosting Support
· All Microsoft licensing included
· On-boarding, education, testing and go-live support

Cloud hosting services includes Silver and Gold Hosting Support Plans for 1 and 3 Years.
Please contact DSD Business Systems for pricing details at media@dsdinc.com.

 

 

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Sage 100 ERP Cloud Hosting

 

 

Sage 100 Online vs Sage 100 Hosted By a Third Party

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Are you considering whether to usage Sage 100 ERP on-premises (traditional) or would you like more information about having a third party such as Sage or an independent host provide the general back-end maintenance and server hosting?

Here’s a great summary PDF which provides you with information on what your Sage 100 cloud hosting options are. Especially impressive is the detail which this document goes into when describing the Sage hosted option vs a third party hosted option.

Both of these methods of hosting Sage 100 ERP in the cloud get you to the same destination. Whether you choose to have Sage host or a third party seems to largely depend upon how many users you’ll have (Sage seems to win for under 5 user implementations) and what modules (third party hosts win when you need to access non-framework modules or perform other tasks such as email statements from paperless office).

 

Download a copy of the guide – Sage 100 Hosting Options. You may also visit the official Sage 100 Online page here.

When is cloud computing right – and wrong – for your business?

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Cloud computing is the increasingly popular method of running applications remotely. Instead of hosting software internally on hardware owned by your company under the cloud computing model you have an outside firm manage both the application and hardware infrastructure – theoretically saving significant overhead costs in the process.

However cloud computing may not be for everyone. An article in PC Magazine outlines 5 key considerations to the use of the cloud:

1. Does the cost benefit justify the disruption — Aka – will you save enough for it to be worthwhile?

2. Do you applications require specific hardware or speed of delivery?

3. How much capacity will you use?

4. Are data regulations and security hurdles too high to overcome?

5. When SHOULDN’T you use cloud computing (Hint: When confidentiality and speed are overriding issues).

The article is a short read and may serve as a good primer for anyone considering a move to the cloud.

Cloud Computing: Is it right for you?

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