The term hosted is often used interchangeably with the term SaaS (Software as a Service) or cloud-based and is used to describe an implementation method for software applications. With hosted ERP software, the system and information is installed on servers and equipment managed by the software vendor at the vendor’s data centre. Users then access the system via the cloud (or internet) through various methods (such as RDP connection or a web-browser). With this method, license fees are broken down and paid for usually on a monthly basis and server/hardware management and IT maintenance are the responsibility of the software vendor.
Blue Link’s hosted ERP software for distributors is a subscription-based service with payments occurring monthly and no up-front licensing fees. This greatly reduces the upfront costs of implementing a new software solution. Monthly fees also cover the cost of annual upgrades and warranty. Hosted/SaaS or cloud implementations allow your employees to access the full Blue Link ERP software package remotely via the internet through an RDP connection. It does not require you to set up your own servers and eliminates the need to purchase additional hardware.
With an on-premises software installation, your entire business software and data is managed on your own, internal servers. Employees are responsible for saving data on their computers, USBs or portable hard drives. Even with your own security measures in place, this is not as safe as it sounds. Break-ins happen, computers are rarely backed up properly, floods and fire risks are a real concern and it’s unlikely that everyone’s machines are up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates. Instead, with Blue Link’s hosted ERP your data is stored on secure, always-updated, backed-up, enterprise-class servers in multiple state-of-the-art, highly-secure data centers strategically placed in multiple cities.
Blue Link’s state-of-the-art hardware and server equipment resides at a facility designed to Tier III data center standards, located in Mississauga, ON. Our servers are protected in buildings with biometric entrance, 24-hour surveillance, robust disaster recovery plans, fire protection, cooling systems…and the list goes on. Our software and hardware is updated regularly with the latest security patches and firewall protection. The data center features redundant internet connections, redundant data storage, climate control, and provides 99.9% up-time to keep your data safe and business running.
I would highly recommend this software. We are using the hosted version and have not had any issues with connection or down time. And not having to host the server in-house has enabled us to focus on growing our business instead of dealing with IT issues.
When you use Blue Link’s hosted ERP software, you don’t need to worry about the technical side of things. Instead, you get to just do your work. We handle all of the security, back-ups, upgrades and other “IT stuff” and keep your data safe and secure, so that you can focus on what’s most important for your distribution business.
The benefits of a hosted implementation include:
Daily backups, and even better, our backups are stored in multiple physical locations for further security and redundancy. You never have to worry about losing your data – we have a dedicated team of people to manage your data, your systems and your software every day.
A major benefit to hosted software is that all your data is centralized and accessible over the internet from any computer, at any time. You don’t need to worry about storing data in multiple places, on multiple devices. Instead, you can access your data and systems from anywhere with an internet connection.
Speaking of accessing the software from anywhere, Blue Link’s hosted ERP is secure even when not in the office. When you use cloud-based ERP software, your office is everywhere. At work, at home, at a customer’s office, a hotel – anywhere you have internet, you can access Blue Link. As part of our security features, we help you access the system through a VPN when you’re working remotely – which means even more security no matter where you are.
Unlike on-premises software which puts the upgrade process on you, our hosted ERP software is updated on an annual basis by our in-house team of experts. We plan annual, scheduled upgrades to make sure you’re on the latest version of the system and always using the most up-to-date technology.
Blue Link’s hosted software lives on our servers – so you don’t need to worry about managing your own equipment. This means you don’t need to maintain any equipment in-house or worry about costly maintenance and upgrades. Instead of spending money on expensive equipment and the people required to manage said equipment, you can put it towards something better….like a pool table for your team. Or an ice cream machine.
We use our software every day. For managing leads, for accounting purposes, for reporting and analysis, project management and more. And we store all of our sensitive and confidential data on the same servers that our customers use. We trust our security policies and run our entire business on the systems we sell.
Know your options. Make the right choice. Grow your business.
I wanted to let you know that we are very happy (now that all is up and running) with ‘phase one’ of the upgrade. The new Windows program has clearly made a difference in speed within the BL environment just as you said it would. I would like to thank you very much for all your help! You patiently explain everything to us and do a great job helping us to fix issues (like the ones we had today) when we need it! It is clear that you are an expert at what you do and an asset to clients like us. Thanks again for all of your help!
With Blue Link’s cloud-based/hosted implementation, the software is implemented and managed on dedicated Blue Link servers, with data being accessed and managed via the cloud (over the internet). Clients access the system off premises via the internet through an RDP connection and pay an on-going monthly fee to Blue Link. With this method, hosting the software and maintaining hardware, backups and upgrades is the responsibility of Blue Link and so no hardware purchases are required by your business. Maintenance fees for upgrades and warranty are included in monthly fees.
Blue Link’s equipment resides at a facility designed to Tier III data centre standards, located in Mississauga, ON. The flagship facility is purpose built and equipped with 2N power, cooling and connectivity infrastructure and an indoor generator facility located off-site for added redundancy, providing high levels of reliability and support.
The data centre and Blue Link’s server setup employ the latest and greatest in hosting technology and gives customers peace of mind that their data is safe. Blue Link’s disaster recovery plan includes managing data from multiple physical site locations with extensive backup power. In the event of a blackout, the data centre has two times the generation capacity required to run the entire building – so even if one set of generators fail the other set can still run everything.
Cooling Systems:
Fire Suppression:
Security:
Disaster Recover:
As a Blue Link hosted customer you are always in warranty. Any system down issues are prioritized, and the data center is monitored 24/7 by Blue Link and a 3rd party company. Our up-time record over the past 9 years has consistently been better than major cloud providers.
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