Cloud Insights

There used to be a phrase in the technology space, “Nobody gets fired for buying IBM,” referring to the presumption that the megabrand was the only safe bet. Fast forward thirty years or so, and if you substitute “Microsoft” for “IBM,” the phrase could still ring true. Microsoft Azure is a presumptive choice for many businesses looking for a hosting platform for their business applications, including their Sage ERP. But a presumptive choice is not necessarily the best choice. Public cloud deployments come at a high cost — and much of that cost is hides in layers. What is the true cost of public cloud? X degrees of separation If you select a public cloud provider like Azure to host your Sage ERP application, you’ll quickly find it’s a relationship that involves layers. Lots of layers. You will likely never have direct contact with Microsoft; your relationship with them will go through intermediaries such as a cloud services provider (CSP). In some cases, there may more than one intermediary CSP. If you rely on a managed services provider (MSP), they’ll be one of the layers too. It’s worth noting here that none of those layers is familiar with Sage ERP. Why do layers matter? Layers matter because they create bottlenecks, finger-pointing, and delays when something goes wrong. If you cannot log in to your Sage ERP application, who’s fault is it? If you receive an error message, which layer takes responsibility for fixing it? What value do you place on the potential productivity and revenue losses associated with downtime? What? That’s not included? We find that companies considering hosting their Sage ERP application often have misconceptions about what Azure provides as part of the public cloud hosting arrangement. Support, backups, remote connections — not included. Software updates, bug fixes, disaster recovery options — not included. These will all be your responsibility. To get a real SaaS experience, you’ll need to turn to one of your layers or your internal IT staff to handle the details that Azure does not. This leads us to another common misconception. A primary reason that companies cite for moving to a Hosted ERP model is the reduced need for IT resources. In many cases, though, the IT load remains the same or even increases. This can happen when your internal IT personnel or your outsourced IT firm has to spend more time managing the layers — communicating and troubleshooting on your behalf. You, of course, will be paying for that time. Punished for growth One of the most complicated pricing models in the tech industry is public cloud providers’ data usage fee structure. You may be told you’ll pay only for what you use, but it’s exceedingly difficult to estimate usage — and overage costs are high. We’ve had clients move to our Cloud at Work Sage ERP private hosted platform because of frustration with unpredictable and expensive data usage charges. Some tell us they felt like they were being punished for growing. To calculate the true cost of public cloud, you must factor in the additional costs associated with bringing your Sage ERP to life on the public cloud — and the ongoing costs of supporting it and maintaining it there. You should also factor in your risk tolerance surrounding troubleshooting and downtime. With layers in between you and Azure, and each asking for a piece of the pie, the true cost can be much higher than expected.

For the past nearly 50 (yes, really) years, businesses building and maintaining their own onsite IT infrastructure was the only game in town. Cloud computing has changed all that. A whopping 61% of businesses migrated at least some of their workloads to the cloud in 2020. Likely your business is already running more than one SaaS hosted application (Microsoft 365 or Dropbox, anyone?), and it’s a guarantee that your employees are. However, many Sage 300 users remain tied to the onsite deployment and the heavy IT burden and costs that go with it. Now is an excellent time to move your Sage 300 to a hosted model. Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t wait any longer to make the move. 1. Take control of your business Sage 300 is likely the backbone of your business operations, with all accounting, sales, inventory, purchasing, manufacturing, project management, and other functions managed through the application. Even short periods of downtime can be devastating, impacting your ability to service customers and zapping employee productivity. Should your server crash, it could take days or weeks to repair or replace it, costing tens of thousands (or more) in expenses and lost revenue. If resiliency, system performance, or security breaches become issues, your organization risks losing ground — and customers — to the competition. In short, Sage 300 is mission-critical, which makes the cloud an ideal place to protect it. With a hosted Sage 300 ERP model, your company’s instance of Sage 300 is hosted on a private cloud services provider’s (CSP) server in a highly secure environment. Private CSPs host your entire production environment in a stable and secure location with 24x7x365 monitoring and support. With near 100% availability guarantees, hourly backup snapshots, and professional disaster recovery services, your hosted Sage 300 data will be safe, and your organization can continue operations, even in the event of a disaster. 2. Increase the value of your company If you are considering merger and acquisition opportunities, an IPO, or a business continuity strategy, you’ll want to maximize your company’s value in every possible way. A company with a bulky in-house computer system — especially when it runs the ERP — could be seen as risky by potential investors. There’s some mystery surrounding an internally hosted IT infrastructure that makes it more difficult for investors to access, understand, value, and maintain going forward.In short, investors demand visibility and accessibility — two things most in-house ERP deployments lack. With the vast majority of workloads either in the cloud or moving to the cloud, the cloud becomes the place to park your Sage 300. With your hosting company handling all maintenance and support of the system, a budgetable monthly cost, and the cloud deployment providing anytime, anywhere access, investors have a clearer, more concise vision of your operation that’s extremely valuable. 3. Improve employee productivity Labor is the single largest expense for most companies, so it’s of strategic advantage when you can optimize every hour worked. Is it really in your company’s best interest to continue to host and maintain Sage 300 on premise? In addition to the staff time required to keep it running optimally, there’s also the “window within a window” remote access inconvenience that zaps performance and wastes time. Also, in this tight labor market, it’s increasingly difficult (and expensive) to hire and retain talented IT professionals. In short, your human capital may be better spent on activities other than maintaining your Sage 300 ERP application in house. Moving your Sage 300 to a hosted cloud deployment model allows you reallocate IT resources to focus more on growing the business and less on maintaining and updating technology. In addition, cloud deployments provide convenient anytime/anywhere access for your staff — something that proved invaluable during the pandemic. The flexibility, reliability, security, and accessibility provided through a hosted ERP scenario can boost overall productivity and allow you to focus resources more strategically. Your company’s investment in Sage 300 is significant, spans many years — and will perform well for many years to come. But your method of deployment could use an update. Cloud Hosted ERP offers numerous benefits to growing companies, including improved security and backup, better visibility and accessibility, and enhanced employee productivity. As a Sage Cloud Hosting specialist, Cloud at Work understands Sage 300 and will work with you and your Sage partner to make the transition to hosting simple, straightforward, and seamless. Contact us with your questions.

As you consider moving Sage ERP to a cloud deployment, you’ve got several decisions to make. Earlier, we offered some suggestions on how to choose a Sage cloud hosting provider. Before you make that decision, though, you’ll need to make a more fundamental decision — should you choose a public or private cloud deployment? What are the differences between the two and which is the best option for hosting Sage ERP? What is Public Cloud? Public clouds are the most common type of cloud computing deployment. With a public cloud deployment, the cloud resources (think servers and storage) are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider and delivered over the internet. All hardware, operating system software, and other supporting infrastructure are also owned and managed by the cloud provider. In a public cloud, you share the same hardware, storage, and network devices with other organizations or cloud tenants. You access your software applications and manage your account using a web browser. Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS are examples of public cloud services. What is Private Cloud? A private cloud consists of cloud computing resources used exclusively by one business or organization. In some cases, an organization’s private cloud could be physically located on their premises. A more common situation, though, is the hosted private cloud. These clouds are maintained by third-party providers (like Cloud at Work) but are unique to one company. In a hosted private cloud, cloud storage isn’t partitioned between users as is the case with public clouds. Instead, each cloud is for the use of an individual customer. The cloud hosting provider maintains the services and infrastructure on a secure network used only by you. The hardware and operating system software are dedicated solely to your organization. This arrangement provides the same benefits as a public cloud – no on-site resources needed to manage cloud storage – with the added security and flexibility of a private cloud. You access your software applications through a secure internet portal. Advantages of a private cloud deployment Public and private cloud deployments share many of the same advantages, including a lowered IT burden, anytime/anywhere access, and more predictable monthly technology expenditures. However, private cloud deployments offer some unique advantages over public options, including: Increased flexibility ‑ When the cloud provider isn’t serving millions of customers, there’s a lot more room for flexibility. A private cloud provider can customize its cloud environment to meet your organization’s specific business needs rather than forcing you to accept high-level choices made to best satisfy as many customers as possible, like how public clouds operate. More control – Public cloud customers have no real way to change things should services or functionality fail to meet their requirements. If a cloud provider changes available features, discontinues functionality, or chooses to adjust any other aspect of operations, there’s nothing you can do about it. Private cloud customers have more input and control over the functionality and operation of their deployment. Enhanced security—In a private cloud, resources are not shared with others, so higher control and privacy levels are possible. Monitoring for a private cloud is generally far superior to public alternatives since it’s easier for the provider to identify small signs of weakness and act immediately. Additionally, you have more flexibility in the security measures used with private clouds. When using public clouds, you’re reliant on whatever measures the provider put into place. Better service—By eliminating intermediaries, a private cloud provider can be much more responsive than the behemoth public cloud providers. And, in the case of Cloud at Work, our level of service extends beyond the technology infrastructure. As Sage experts, we’re able to work with you and your business partner when issues arrive to get them resolved quickly. A public cloud provider simply cannot offer that level of service. Why public cloud is not the best for hosting Sage ERP Public cloud is not the best option for hosting Sage ERP. The added layers of bureaucracy between you and your ERP unnecessarily complicate the deployment, adding cost, inconvenience, and frustration. The overwhelming majority of companies that use the major public cloud services will never directly interact with the giants. Most companies’ relationships with their public cloud service provider pass through many layers, including a managed services provider and often another smaller cloud services provider. In fact, in most instances, you won’t even choose  the public cloud provider directly — a company in one of those layers will choose it for you. When you put layers in between you and your vital business software, you risk finger-pointing and delays should an issue arise. It’s unlikely that AWS will even pick up the phone when you call, let alone help you troubleshoot an issue they don’t believe they have responsibility for. Cloud at Work is a private cloud service that works directly with Sage ERP users and their business partners to host Sage ERP in our own world-class data centers. When you experience an issue, one call to Cloud at Work sets a resolution in motion. No layers and no finger pointing. It’s an application focus and a level of service that other cloud services providers — public or private — simply cannot match. Do you have questions about moving Sage ERP to the cloud? We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions and discuss how Cloud at Work may be the ideal fit for your organization. Give us a call at 800-719-3307.

Companies are moving their ERP applications to the Cloud in ever-increasing numbers. But you have an investment in Sage ERP that is still paying dividends. You’re not about to trade in the ERP solution that’s been serving your organization so well for so long, and Sage continues to invest in their ERP solutions, giving you added confidence that you’re still on the right path. Perhaps, though, there’s a cloud hanging over your on-premise Sage implementation. Maybe the pandemic and the work-from-home shift brought a little rain. You may be wondering if you could have all the benefits of your Sage application and all the benefits of a cloud-hosted ERP. Could migrating to a hosted ERP deployment be the answer? If you’ve got questions about moving Sage X3, Sage 500, Sage 300, or Sage 100 to the Cloud, we’ve got answers. Why is now the right time to move Sage ERP to the cloud? Now is an excellent time to make the move to a Hosted ERP deployment model for many reasons, including: Remote Access: The work-from-home shift is likely to continue and may become a permanent change for many companies. A Hosted ERP model provides straightforward and secure accessibility for remote employees. IT resources are in short supply: It can be challenging to find, hire, and retain in-house IT personnel capable of maintaining your company’s servers and technology infrastructure. A Hosted ERP model minimizes your organization’s IT burden, allowing you to redirect those resources to more value-added initiatives. Peace of mind: Data security risks are a constant concern. In a hosted environment, a cloud services provider (CSP) hosts your entire production environment in a stable and secure setting, with round-the-clock monitoring and support. Many CSPs offer uptime availability guarantees as high as 99.99%, and with hourly backups, you can be confident that even in the event of a disaster, your data will be safe. What are the advantages of moving to a Sage hosted ERP model? Sage Hosting offers numerous advantages over an on-premises deployment, including: Leverage your investment: Sage applications are robust, comprehensive ERP applications that have been growing in functionality for decades. The solution you’re using today has been tested, improved, and extended with capabilities to run enterprise organizations’ entire operations. Moving to a hosted ERP model allows you to best leverage the continuing value of the application. Through hosting, you gain access to modern infrastructure that will enable you to continue to take full advantage of your ERP solution for years to come. Additionally, you may have code customizations added throughout the years, and since your whole business data set moves to the hosted environment, those customizations will come right along with you. Fixed monthly cost: With most Hosted ERP deployments, you’ll pay a fixed monthly fee for the services you select. No more worries about server updates or budgeting for hardware upgrades. One set monthly fee buys you quick, anytime, anywhere access to your Sage applications, without the technology overhead costs. Data security: When you’re operating your own on-premises servers, you retain complete control over security. For a business with an appropriate level of IT support, on-premise solutions can provide a level of confidence that the servers are locked down. On the other hand, if mismanaged, on-premise servers can leave an organization vulnerable to security threats. Unlike data centers, which hire dedicated security personnel and are built to withstand acts of nature such as fires, your office can be more susceptible to break-ins and weather events, which pose significant threats to your servers and your data. Data security in the cloud is handled by your CSP. Reputable CSPs take their data security responsibilities very seriously. Most rely on the very latest and most sophisticated security tools to keep customers’ data safe. And most are equipped with 24/7 support and monitoring and perform regular (even hourly) data backups. How do I select the right company to host my Sage ERP? Finding the right company to host your Sage ERP is a crucial decision, so it’s vital to study your options and make an informed choice. Cloud Service Providers (CSP) are technology companies offering cloud-based platforms that could include infrastructure, application hosting and storage services. Big names like Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud come to mind, but when looking for a CSP to host your Sage ERP, bigger isn’t better. You won’t be able to work directly with one of these big players. Instead, you’ll need to work through a few layers, such as a Managed Services Provider (MSP) and even likely an intermediary CSP. All those layers can result in long wait times for support and finger-pointing between vendors as they try to resolve a support issue. A CSP that also understands your Sage ERP application is ideal — and Cloud at Work is that kind of CSP. We understand Sage ERP solutions and the companies that rely on them — and that makes a difference. We’ve got more tips on selecting the right CSP here. Cloud at Work is a Sage hosting provider, delivering cloud hosting options all Sage applications. We work with Sage customers and their Sage business partners to provide the most streamlined, cost-effective, and robust hosting experience available. Contact us with your questions.

You’ve decided to move your Sage ERP to the cloud. Great idea, but how will you decide which hosting option is best? Meet Cloud at Work. Cloud at Work has been hosting Sage ERP and other Sage applications for years and has quickly grown into an extraordinarily robust cloud hosting platform relied on by Sage users and partners throughout North America. We believe that Cloud at Work can stand toe-to-toe with the biggest hosting services out there. In fact, it may even step on a few toes. Layers (and layers) of separation If your Sage ERP application does not work, or does not open, who do you call when your application is in the cloud? Your IT provider, your Sage provider, the internet service provider, the hosting company, someone else? Who will be responsible for fixing the issue and how long will it take? These are the questions you should be asking as you look for the right Cloud for Sage ERP. The overwhelming majority of companies that use Amazon, Azure or Google to host their applications will never ever speak to these behemoths when an issue arises. Most companies’ relationships with their Cloud Service Provider (CSP) pass through many layers. In fact, in many instances, you won’t even choose your CSP, a company in one of those layers will choose it for you. And the layers can get pretty thick. If you rely on a managed service provider (MSP), they’ll be one of the layers. And something called the Provisioning Portal will be yet another layer. We get it, creating a world-class application hosting service requires resources. But we contend, it does not require layers. The problem with layers is this: when you have a question or an issue it becomes very difficult to determine who’s at fault — or more importantly, who can fix it. And when that question is about the mission-critical software that’s running your business, you shouldn’t have to sift through layers to get an answer. Or straight to the source The Cloud at Work Sage hosting service operates differently — much differently. You have a question — you call us. You have a problem — you call us. One call. No layers. Cloud at Work was purpose built to host Sage applications. We are staffed by some of the keenest and most experienced Sage minds in the country ready to provide world-class service to Sage business partners and their customers. We can quickly identify issues, get to the root of problems, loop in your Sage business partner, and get you back to business. It’s an application focus and a level of service that other CSPs simply cannot match. But that’s not the only reason Cloud at Work Sage cloud hosting services make smart sense. Our Tier 4 (highest rating) Data Centers are protected by 24x7x365 on-site security with dual factor, biometric access control. Support features include 24x7x365 monitoring, alerting, and notification, 99.99% availability and hourly backup snapshots. And that’s not the half of it. Simply stated: Cloud at Work Data Centers are among the best of the best and we invite you to compare them to any CSP out there. We’re pleased that Sage ERP customers and their partners have multiple options as they consider a move to a Hosted ERP model. The model has numerous advantages over keeping the application in house, including remote accessibility and stronger security. We’re so certain that when you review options for hosting Sage 100, Sage 300, Sage X3, and other Sage applications, you’ll see what makes Cloud at Work the clear choice. Have hosting questions? We’ve got answers. Reach out to our Cloud at Work consultants or your own Sage business partner.

What would happen if your servers failed and your Sage 100 and other technology your business relies on was not accessible – potentially for days? According to IDC, as many as 50% of organizations affected by some form of business disruption won’t survive the event. Of those that do, IDC found that the average cost of downtime is $250,000 per hour across all industries and organizational sizes. Watch this recorded webcast and learn the cloud-clarifying concepts you need to know before moving your Sage 100 to the cloud to help run your business, secure your data, enable your company’s growth goals and ensure business continuity. The topics that we cover, include: How operating Sage 100 in the cloud has a positive impact on: System Access Redundancy & Disaster Recovery System Performance Security Consistency of Data and Reporting What cloud hosting options look like for Sage 100: pricing models, architecture and design The Cloud at Work Sage 100 Hosting options, including: Moving current Sage 100 systems to the cloud Migrating your on-premise Sage 100 solution to a per-employee, per-month pricing model To learn more contact us and one of our Sage 100 hosting specialists will answer any questions you may have, and illustrate the ROI and value of moving an on-premise Sage system to the cloud.

If you’re deciding whether to host your Sage 100cloud or Sage 300cloud application remotely, one of the first and most important decisions you’ll need to make is who will host it for you. Cloud Service Providers (CSP) are technology companies offering a cloud-based platform that could include infrastructure, application hosting and storage services. You’re familiar with the usual suspects: Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google Cloud. But bigger isn’t better in the case of Hosted ERP. As you begin your search for a provider to host your Sage ERP application, we encourage you to review these three essential considerations. 1. Security practices – who’s holding the keys Security practices are naturally the biggest consideration in deciding on a CSP to host your Sage ERP solution. There are two main components to security: the physical security surrounding and associated with the data center itself, and the virtual infrastructure the CSP has in place to protect your data from server downtime, power outages and natural disasters. One objective measure is to look at the provider’s data center tier rating, rated from 1 to 4. While a Tier 1 data center can be little more than a powered warehouse, Tier 4 data centers are considered “fault tolerant.” This means (among other things) that unplanned maintenance does not stop the flow of data. Day-to-day operations continue regardless of any support taking place. Look for a CSP who’s data center has received the Tier 4, highest classification. Another security practice to look for is 24x7x365 monitoring, alerting and notification. You want to know if something occurs that could impact your ability to access your applications. There are many other security considerations to be aware of, so be certain to educate yourself and question each CSP until you’re satisfied. We invite you to compare Cloud at Work’s cloud data centers and security protocols to any in the world. 2. Access to the source – layers are only good in a cake When you have a question or concern about your Hosted ERP application, when something just doesn’t seem right, or you simply cannot access it — who do you call? The overwhelming majority of companies that use Amazon or Azure or Google to host their applications will never ever speak to these behemoths when an issue arises. Most companies’ relationships with their CSP pass through many layers. In fact, in many instances, you won’t even choose your CSP, a company in one of those layers will choose it for you. A managed service provider (MSP) might be one of those layers. The Cloud at Work ERP hosting service is different. You have a question — you call us. You have a problem — you call us. One call. No layers. We’ll work with you and your Sage business partner to identify issues and get you back to business quickly. 3. A CSP who knows ERP — yes, there is such a thing Is it important for your CSP to actually have an understanding of what it’s hosting for you? From the CSP’s standpoint, the answer is no. From your standpoint, we think the answer should be a resounding yes. In part this goes back to eliminating the layers we spoke about in #2, above. A hosting company that understands your Sage ERP application is able to give you the attention and support you need to keep business running without passing the buck to someone in one of the other layers. For example, working in conjunction with your Sage business partner, our Cloud at Work hosting solution can include updates of all patches and fixes so you can be assured that your Sage ERP is always up to date. Finding a CSP that actually understands your Sage ERP application may seem a bit like finding a Googlewhack — and that one result is the Cloud at Work solution. Cloud at Work is a different kind of CSP. We understand Sage ERP solutions and we understand the companies that rely on them — and that makes a difference. Make the right cloud choice We’ve hopefully given you some things to think about here and offered some insight into why Cloud at Work is different than other cloud service providers. Cloud at Work offers two top-of-the-line cloud product offerings. Our Virtual Private Cloud is a 100% Virtual Private environment for organizations that place extreme value on redundancy, security and availability. Our Hybrid Secure offering is specially designed for smaller Sage environments and utilizes SaaS like architecture to deploy semi-dedicated resources. Both offerings provide the most secure and economical ways to host your Sage software. And, while Cloud at Work is focused on providing hosted Sage applications, our technology is capable of providing Virtual Desktops, as well as hosting of any other third-party application to streamline your technology platform even further. We invite you to learn more about hosting Sage 100cloud or Sage 300cloud by contacting one of our Cloud at Work consultants.

Hosted has become increasingly popular in the last several years. Companies have discovered that when they move their important applications to the cloud, capital expenditures on infrastructure are lowered, security is heightened and their IT staffs can focus on high-value activities. For companies considering whether to host their Sage 100cloud or Sage 300cloud remotely, it’s important to understand just what that means, and how to choose to right partners to make your venture into Hosted ERP a success. The difference between Hosted ERP and Cloud ERP The terms Hosted ERP and Cloud ERP are often used interchangeably. While both Hosted ERP and Cloud ERP can be accessed remotely, there are definite distinctions between the two. Neither Sage 100cloud nor Sage 300cloud — despite having the word “cloud” in their names — are considered Cloud ERP. What’s the difference? Hosted ERP is a web-enabled ERP software solution. Your company purchases and owns the software, but instead of it being in house or on premises, the software is installed on a remote server provided by a Cloud Services Provider, or CSP. The configuration allows authorized users within your company to access the application over an internet connection. Hosted ERP applications are single tenant, meaning your company’s licensed copy of Sage 100cloud or Sage 300cloud is installed on your CSP’s computers for your use only. This means that any time Sage publishes a new release or update, that change will not automatically impact your instance of the software. Instead, it will need to be installed by your business partner or hosting provider. Cloud ERP applications are (usually) multi-tenant. Simply put, multi-tenant means that there’s one instance of the Cloud ERP installed on the CSP’s computers and that one instance serves multiple subscribers, or tenants. Generally speaking, then, when the publisher makes a change to the software, all subscribers see the same change. Cloud ERP applications fall under the SaaS (Software as a Service) umbrella term. Both Hosted ERP and Cloud ERP rely on a CSP or hosting provider — the company that provides the technology infrastructure. The decision on which hosting provider to trust is an important one. How to choose a hosting provider Choosing the right provider to host your Sage 100cloud or Sage 300cloud application is nearly as important as choosing the software itself. Think of your hosting provider as a landlord, a gatekeeper, a caretaker, a tour guide, and a repairman — all in one. You’re going to want to find a good one. Ask anyone to name a hosting provider and you’ll hear the big names like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google. These behemoths largely do not know or care what software they are hosting, and they are definitely not going to be the ones to call when you want to get started with Hosted ERP or when you have an issue down the road. If you’re Netflix and you want Amazon to host your software, maybe you could pick up the phone and speak to someone. But the rest of us are going to need some help – in the form of intermediaries — companies that interact with the hosting provider on your behalf. There are typically several layers of intermediaries between you and your Hosted ERP, including your Sage busines partner, a Managed Services Provider (MSP), Sage ERP Online Services (SEOS), a smaller CSP and others. In short, when a major hosting platform is involved, your ERP application is many layers away from your control. We’ll take more about the risks inherent with these layers (and how to avoid them) in upcoming posts. While they don’t have the same name recognition as AWS or Azure, there are hundreds of other CSPs. But largely, they put up the same barriers to interaction that the big guys do. In other words, you’re going to need intermediaries with most of them too. A different kind of hosting service Cloud at Work is a different kind of CSP. We understand Sage ERP solutions and we understand the companies that rely on them. As a sister company to Net at Work, the top Sage Partner in North America, Cloud at Work was founded as a service to our own clients that were seeking Hosted ERP options. Since then, we’ve been busy building Cloud at Work into an extraordinarily robust cloud hosting platform that we believe can stand toe-to-toe with the biggest names out there. And once you factor in the fact that we eliminate the need for those layers of intermediaries, we humbly believe we’re the single best option for companies looking for cloud hosting for Sage 100cloud, Sage 300cloud and all other Sage applications. Interested in learning more about hosting Sage 100cloud or Sage 300cloud? Contact one of our Cloud at Work consultants.

There’s no shortage of information available on the topic of whether to choose a public or private cloud to host essential business software — including Sage ERP. Much of that information comes from the big public cloud players, such as Amazon, Google Cloud, and AWS. Amidst the information, however, is a great deal of misinformation. To help set the record straight, we’ve debunked five common myths and misconceptions surrounding private cloud deployments. The facts help explain why a private hosted cloud is the best option for companies looking to move Sage ERP to the cloud. Private cloud isn’t scalable Private cloud infrastructure, when designed correctly, is highly scalable, providing horsepower far beyond what individual companies can typically build in house. And the best private cloud service providers are agile enough to expand and extend their offerings quickly to meet increased demands. Private clouds cannot provide the same level of security as public clouds Private cloud hosting providers like Cloud at Work utilize identical security protocols as public clouds — and in some instances even more robust protocols. For example, Cloud at Work’s Tier 4 (highest classification) data centers have 24 x7 x 365 support and monitoring, are geo-diverse, and deliver one-to-four-hour disaster recovery time objectives. We invite you to compare our metrics to any public cloud offering. Private cloud is only for small-to-medium businesses In general, larger enterprises tend to have more workloads and applications that run in a public cloud, which has unlimited capacity to handle these workloads. However, regardless of business size, at least 75% of all workloads fall under the “predictable” category — and these workloads run best in a private cloud — and can cost much less than public cloud. I have to build a private cloud myself Most private cloud deployments are not built and maintained by an individual company. Private cloud hosting service providers, like Cloud at Work, are the primary providers of private cloud hosting centers. If I choose a private cloud, I don’t have access to the public cloud In fact, 85% of companies utilize a hybrid cloud model, where they host some of their applications on a private cloud and others on a public cloud. For example, it’s common for an organization to host their Sage ERP on a private cloud and run other business applications, like Microsoft Office 365, over a public cloud. Why private cloud is the best option for Sage Cloud Hosting In this article, we outlined some of the unique advantages a private cloud deployment holds over the public could option. In summary, by eliminating the layers of bureaucracy between you and your ERP, a private cloud provider can offer you better flexibility, control, availability, security, and service. Cloud at Work is a private cloud service designed specifically to host Sage ERP. In addition to our team of cloud experts, our staff includes some of the keenest and most experienced Sage minds in the country — ready to provide world-class service to Sage business partners and their customers. It’s an application focus and a level of service unmatched among other cloud service providers — public or private. Do you have questions about moving Sage ERP to the cloud? We’ve answered some of the most common questions here, and we welcome the opportunity to speak with you about how we may be able to help your organization. Give us a call at 800-719-3307.