Work From Anywhere This Summer

This summer has been called the "summer of sport".  The Mayor of London has made an announcement which is regularly broadcast in tube stations warning commuters to plan ahead as all forms of transport could be under significant strain during the period.

This is just one example of when remote access to your business software would be useful and improve your overall business productivity.  Strikes, protests, wind, floods, snow or even heat have all had an impact on transport over the last year.  All would have impacted the ability of staff to get into the office.

This month:

• We highlight research carried out by Sage examining how finance professionals plan to ensure their staff can continue to be productive during the Olympics. 
• We explain about calendar monthly contracts and how that means a business could put in place remote access for their staff even for just one calendar month. 
• Finally we remind you that Online50 will almost always provide a quicker Sage 50 experience than you would have over a network.

This is the last newsletter until after the Summer break in August. Thank you for your interest in Online50.

In This Issue:

Calendar Month Contracts - Reason 6 to Choose Online50

Online50 offers calendar month contracts.  Why be tied in for twelve months when you could simply pay for what you need month by month?  Our contracts allow an unlimited amopunt of use within a calendar month, and you can cancel at any time.

Pay only for what you need

Pay only for what you need every month of the year.  If your needs increase, within hours, you can have extra users working.  If your needs decrease your licenses can be reduced.  We do ask for one calnedar months notice if you want to reduce your service because usage is based on the calendar month.

You can stop using the software with 1 calendar months notice as well.  (There is no "break the seal - take the deal" catch where opening the software is deemed as use and makes the purchase non-returnable).  For example, if you gave notice during the month of October, the full month's notice would mean that you will be paying for November.  It is possible to cancel immediately and simply pay in lieu of notice if you wish for example, where a user may have left your company.

Buying software can be expensive and inefficient

Buying software licenses can be frustrating.  When buying software, most companies plan to keep it for about three years.  You have to anticipate how many users you will need in three years time.  If you over estimate, there are no refunds.  If you under estimate you have to buy additional licenses which you may only get to use for 12 to 18 months before they are all upgraded again.

Online50 lets you rent rather than buy and upgrade whenever you wish

Online50 lets you rent rather than buy.  Rent the exact number of licenses you need at every stage of your business lifecycle.  Forget paying for upgrades every year.  With Online50 you can upgrade your sofware everytime new software comes out (there is no charge) or you can keep working on your existing version until there is a new feature that will positively impact your business.

Calendar month contracts is another great reason to make Online50 your hosting partner.

Remote Access During the Olympics

Survey results released in July 2012:

• 46% of senior financial professionals plan to enable their staff to work remotely during the Olympics and Paralympics. 
   
• 33% either have a contingency plan or intend to have one to allow staff to work remotely if they are unable to get into the office for any reason.
   
• 28% indicated their current technology and applications did not allow for remote working.

The results are from research recently sponsored by Sage among readers of Accountancy Age and Financial Director magazine.  They were trying to assess the views of senior finance professionals about the expected impact of the "summer of sport" on working practices.

Rob Lamden (CEO and Founder of Online50) had this to say:

"Of course the Online50 service offers all users remote access as standard.

"With calendar month billing, it is entirely possible for a company to signup and provide remote access to their staff just for the month of August."

Each day, thousands of users globally log into the Online50 systems to work on Sage 50 and other software over the Internet.  Some use very modern machines and super fast boadband while others use very basic 256Kb broadband lines and 10 plus year old machines.  Staff can therefore easily access your systems remotely even if their computer or Internet is not business quality.

If your business needs to maintain it's efficiency through the Olympics and would like to consider a fully managed solution which will provide Remote Access to your staff, talk to Online50 today. 

Your staff could be working on Sage 50 over the Internet within 4 working hours.

Sage Slower on a Network

The following question was asked in Any Answers in AccountingWeb on Sunday:

There are 4 computers in our network with 3 users license. When all computers are working in sage that times it takes too long to proceed. I have been advised by the sage support that my antivirus are too strict. But I have put sage in trusted zone in antivirus. Still same problem. There are 3 desktop out of 4 are using windows vista and only one using xp 64 bit. It has also been advised from sage support that xp might slow down the system. But employer do not want to buy new license. Also I have clear some audit trial. No change. Is there anybody can help me from practical experience?

The Online50 service has always made Sage 50 quicker than it would be on a network installation.  With the latest investment in our infrastructure, we have had feedback from users that speeds have improved even further.

The underlying Sage 50 software will still limit the maximum speed possible, but with enterprise grade servers and very low levels of data having to be transferred between computers and our server, the Online50 service makes Sage 50 perform more quickly in almost all situations.

If you know of a business struggling with Sage 50 speed, why not suggest they call us on 0800 195 0835.