7 Ways for Organizations Looking to Host Sage in The Cloud

Cloud hosting for core business applications including Sage ERP, Sage CRM or Sage HRMS presents unparalleled advantages including, workforce mobility and IT cost reduction.

But wait… the decision to move the cloud often requires adequate preparation and research.

Before we tackle some of the key elements to consider when migrating Sage to the cloud, it’s essential to note that, the move to the cloud may not be suitable for every business. At CompuData, we provide our customers with the flexibility to perform a full cloud hosting comparison analysis to determine if the move to the cloud is the right decision. Ultimately, we are interested in helping businesses leverage their current business software investments to it’s full potential. Moving a traditionally on-site application such as, Sage ERP to the cloud, offers organizations with the ability to maximize their existing investments.

1. Select a Cloud Service Provider with Sage Hosting ExpertiseMost Cloud hosting providers understand the basic necessities needed to move your business applications to a cloud-hosted environment. However, since Sage ERP, Sage CRM and Sage HRMS applications house your businesses most pertinent information including, financials and vital customer data, choosing a provider that has experience with Sage speeds up the migration process and also makes it easier to troubleshoot issues that are application based. For instance, CompuData is able to offer Sage hosting customers with the unique advantage of gaining access to a team of specialized Sage consultants and Sage hosting technicians. This makes it easier for us to troubleshoot Sage related issues as well as cloud hosting bottlenecks, leading to a successful and well-supported Sage hosting migration.
2. Know the Applications You Will Like to HostWhile you may think about hosting Sage at first thought, it’s essential to think about other applications that you will like to host in the future, or together with your current Sage application. Planning ahead can help you and your cloud hosting provider map out a plan for your organizations server hosting needs now, and in the long-term future. Figure out applications that might take longer to move due to on-premise customizations etc. and those that can be moved easily without any trouble. Your cloud-hosting provider should help you with process especially if there is the core understanding of Sage and other Sage ad-on products.
3. Think about Backup and Disaster RecoveryAs you plan to move your Sage application to the cloud, now is good time to think about backup and disaster recovery solutions. In most cases your cloud-hosting provider usually has backup and disaster recovery options as part of their hosting services. For instance, with our Sage cloud hosting services we guarantee a 1 hour RPO(Recovery Point Objective) and a 4 Hour RTO (Recovery Time Objective) meaning, we aim at recovering your data up to the last hour of data backup and we can have you up and running in case of disaster in 4 hours or less. Ensuring that you have a backup and disaster recovery plan also gives your organization a greater sense of security.
4. Know Your Industry Requirements to Ensure CompliancyCertain industries such as healthcare and finance are usually heavily regulated and require specific certifications to ensure data security for sensitive information. Before moving to the cloud ensure that your hosted environment is in compliance with your industry regulations. For example, using CompuData’s SSAE 16 certified data centers allows businesses to stay in compliance with the AICPA’s auditing standards.
5. Find Out About Cloud SecurityIt is estimated that over 95% of businesses that suffer major data loss eventually go out of business. Data security should be one of the main factors when selecting the cloud provider to go with. Ensure that you have the right user roles defined, have encrypted logins, antivirus protection, 24 x 7 incident monitoring and built-in firewalls to ensure that your data is as secure as it could possibly be.
6. Make Sure You Have Reliable InternetOnce you have your Sage business software running in a cloud-hosted environment, you will need to connect to your sage software using the Internet. As you think about moving to the cloud, think about your current Internet connectivity as well. If you have a spotty Internet service that frequently cuts off in the middle on the day, then, you should also know that it could affect your employees’ ability to connect to your applications in the cloud. Talk to your managed services provider about possible ways to improve your current Internet and network systems pre-launch. Additionally, your cloud-hosting provider should also offer around the cloud connectivity support to help with troubleshooting any connectivity issues.
7. Perform a Full Comparison AnalysisAs we mentioned earlier, we like to give all our customers the flexibility of knowing if the move to the cloud is right or not by offering a cloud hosting comparison analysis. Note that, most cloud comparison analyses are usually conducted looking at the costs involved such as, the savings on servers, licenses, backup, and maintenance services, among others. While a cost comparison analysis allows you to discover how much you could possibly save, you may also need to consider other non-quantifiable benefits of the cloud such as, an increase in workforce mobility and productivity. No matter which direction you decide to go in eventually, make sure the decision is made looking at all the facts at hand.

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Author is working as Accountant for 15 years an he has vast knowledge about accounting and accounting software.