I am contemplating between cloud and server. While cost implication is making me to want to go with server, am abit scared as I feel it is something that require technical abilities. Can anyone tell more about this server edition? Is it just to install on my website host server or there is more to it?
Thanks in advance.
The fact that you need to ask this question suggests the cloud edition is more suitable. Have you read this Guide: Self-host a Manager installation | Manager?
Your question implies that you do not have the required technical knowledge to go with the server version
Yes operating your own server does take some technical effort. The complexity and decision to go cloud based or server based will depend largely on how you wish to manage your business infrastructure.
Do you need a multiuser functionality?
Do you need to access manager when offsite?
If yes to both then Cloud is your preferred infrastructure as it will be fast to implement and no maintenance
If yes to first question only then maybe you have a similar strategic business decision process as the leadership described in the example below.
I have come across a foreign business wishing Manager to be commissioned in house. The operation did not want their Manager System to have Internet access or any of the users to have remote access to the Manager system.
In this type of arrangement Cloud would not be an option and a stand alone single user implementation would also not fit the request. Please do not ask why anyone would want this type of implementation. (I suspect a security / culture thing).
Nevertheless this may help you consider the options and cement the choice you may make.
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Maintenance:- the application should be upgraded as bugs are fixed and features you find useful are added
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Backup:- all hardware will fail and you don’t want to loose a significant amount of data when that occurs
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Business continuity:- what is your replacement strategy when something fails. How much down time is acceptable. Note for the hosted solution the same applies to your Internet connection.
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Internet access:- fixed/stable IP address, domain registration & pointing to your internet IP address, routing internet requests to your servers intranet address
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Secure internet access:- https access & certificate registration / renewal.
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Security:- Internet access hardening / proxy server to minimize remote hacking / virus infiltration risk and attack surface.
Note the last 3 items are less significant if your server is required for intra-net but not inter-net access.
As an IT Technician, I can state that you do not want to use the Server edition if you are not an IT person or you do not have IT Staff to support you. The very fact that you don’t know how the Server edition would work means that you don’t have the technical knowledge install, maintain and support it. You should not even consider the server version. Cloud is the appropriate package for you.
The difference between cloud and server is that for cloud, you are outsourcing your IT maintenance needs for this accounting program to the developer. The developer worries about installing, configuring and updating Manager. All you have to worry about is your accounts.
The Server edition means you would have to bring IT expertise in-house. For most small companies it’s actually more expensive to pay somebody to buy a server, setup an OS, setup Manager Server, update it and help support you when there are issues connecting to the server. You would also need to pay for online backup etc. It would not be cheaper to host the Server Edition yourself unless you already have an IT Technician on your payroll.
Cloud is not more expensive. You are simply paying for the program and IT support at the same time in the price, whereas with the Server edition, you are paying for the software and IT support separately. Also in case you hadn’t noticed, the server edition price allows you to perpetually use the same version, but you still have to pay to upgrade to newer releases, which you would want to do otherwise you would miss out on new features as well as changes in accounting law in your country (eg MTD in the UK)
You should use the Cloud. Ask yourself what you would do if you lost all your data using the server edition because you tried to save money doing it yourself? I strongly recommend that you use the cloud. I have seen far too many people lose their data because they don’t back it up.
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Thanks @Compuit. That resolves my worries completely. I go for cloud.
But I would not want my users to be aware of Manager and I will want to give them full, even administrator, access. I know this topic is in the forum and the developers are also looking at it.
Thanks guys.
“…accounting is like the compass to the ship, the doctor to the body, and the sole to the shoe. If there is no proper accounting there is neither sense of direction nor knowledge of position and business is confusion…”, Nwaorise Abanye
Thanks @Patch, that resolves my worries completely. I go for cloud.
But I would not want my users to be aware of Manager and I will want to give them full, even administrator, access. I know this topic is in the forum and the developers are also looking at it.
Thanks guys.
“…accounting is like the compass to the ship, the doctor to the body, and the sole to the shoe. If there is no proper accounting there is neither sense of direction nor knowledge of position and business is confusion…”, Nwaorise Abanye
October 31
Abanye:
Is it just to install on my website host server or there is more to it?
-
Maintenance, the application should be upgraded as bugs are fixed and features you find useful are added
-
Backup, all hardware will fail and you don’t want to loose a significant amount of data when that occurs
-
Business continuity, what is your replacement strategy when something fails. How much down time is acceptable. Note for the hosted solution the same applies to your Internet connection.
-
Security, Internet access hardening to minimize remote hacking / virus infiltration risk.
-
Secure access, https access, certificate registration and renewal.
Note the last 2 items are less significant if your server is required for intra-net but not inter-net access.
Thanks @dalacor, that resolves my worries completely. I go for cloud.
But I would not want my users to be aware of Manager and I will want to give them full, even administrator, access. I know this topic is in the forum and the developers are also looking at it.
Thanks guys.
“…accounting is like the compass to the ship, the doctor to the body, and the sole to the shoe. If there is no proper accounting there is neither sense of direction nor knowledge of position and business is confusion…”, Nwaorise Abanye
@Abanye
You only need to post the same content to the forum once, all users can read it from there. You can refer to multiple users to by specify multiple @users
You can point a second domain name to the service hosted by NGSoftware as described Use a custom domain name with the cloud edition
However having access to the hardware the accounting service runs on does give greater control. Costing overall will depend on how many services you host / local cost can be amortised over.
Please expatiate more. You mean if i first point a domain to manager then I will point the second domain to the first domain? Please, for i really want to give them admin access without allowing them to see manager.
Thanks
You need to be very careful, @Abanye. You did not say who your users are. But, assuming they are different accounting clients, you definitely do not want to set them up as administrators. If you do, users at one client business will be able to access records of another client business. If you want to give unrestricted access to a client, you will need to set them up with a separate cloud subscription. You could do that, giving each a custom domain name as described in the link @Patch sent. And you could make yourself an administrator of each of those subscriptions. But you could not cover all your different clients under the same cloud subscription and also make them administrators.
Meaning an administrator of a business will automatically become administrators of all businesses whether given access or not? I don’t think so. And if a user made administrator in one business can not be administrator in other businesses which he is not given access, then your suggestion of different subscription will generate the same effect as giving administrator access in a particular business.
My users can be any body but I regard them as businesses who need accounting software. And when I give access to, say, the contact person there will be need to give other users access in the business. This role of giving access to users is what I wanted to let the business handle itself. The way to do it is to give admin access and doing this will expose manager. This is my problem.
Now I think I need to be the one to create their users to achieve my aim.
Yes. An administrator is an administrator of the cloud subscription account, not of a business set up under that subscription.
That has been mentioned as a future development. Right now, you cannot do it.
This is correct.
Kudos. I appreciate.