Reasons to consider Act! in the Cloud
Today, fortunately, there are many different methods available to access ACT! remotely. In this article, I will focus on Act! in the Cloud Act! Remote Desktop aka Terminal Server.) Specifically, we are going to focus on utilizing Remote Desktop Server from Microsoft which is an affordable and highly prevalent in Corporate America today. There are a number of benefits to utilizing remote desktop, so I will try to order them in a sequence that would be of most interest to the Act! user community.
When comparing this approach to the Act! for Web model, the first item of consideration is that the Act! in the Cloud user get an entire desktop of programs in addition to ACT!. For example, when you log into your Remote Desktop session, it will look and feel just like your underlying Windows desktop, [Start] button and all. You can include the entire Microsoft Office suite along with any other software packages you might need. I should also mention that you can view your remote desktop on not just your PC, but remote devices such as a tablet.
Using Remote Desktop also has a positive impact on your entire network and/or infrastructure. Older PC’s need not be replaced as quickly because Remote Desktop runs fast on slower hardware. (All the processing happens on the server, not the PC) From an IT perspective, it is much easier and cheaper to support the users. So, for example, if you have 20 sales reps using Act!, one tweak, fix or upgrade will benefit them all.
Another benefit is the quick deployment of new users. Once the server is initially set up, adding new users takes only minutes. Picture the standard method of adding an employee in which the new PC may have to be set up by IT and then possibly shipped to the user. Here, the Act! desktop & MS office are already configured and waiting on the server. We simply email them the login info and they can get to work in potentially minutes.
Another important consideration for the business owner or manager is security. All the data is on the server and therefore much more secure than if directly on a laptop or PC. How many disgruntled employees have walked away from a company with some or all of their data?
There are many more which I can mention at this point in the article, but suffice it to say that this approach is relatively inexpensive in comparison to many of the other ways of extending your enterprise beyond your ‘four walls.’ Please feel free to call us at 800-550-4647 for a more specific explanation of Remote Desktop’s capabilities, costs, and benefits.