SRS CLOUD
SRS Cloud Computing
Announcing the"SRS Cloud"!
SRS introduces the SRS Cloud as an option to our users who want to be more flexible with their data and reduce their server / hardware investment. All of our great products now can either reside on your local hardware OR on the SRS Cloud Server which acts as data repository for your database and imaging files.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Your database and any image files you associate with your case will reside on the SRS Cloud rather than your "Main Workstation / Server". You NO LONGER need to maintain a central server for a multiple-location business. This saves you the capital expenditure, maintenance plan, and knowledge necessary to own and operate a server. Your data will still flow into your own database and NOT be comingled with other client data as some competitors practice. Your local computers will still maintain their own copies of the program and associated files so the access to the program and forms is fast. You will now be able to run your software on the SRS Cloud over the web from any computer that has your SRS program installed – home, vacation, mobile wireless cards, etc. You are now able to access your active database in the middle of the night from your home computer over the cloud!
WILL MY PROGRAM BE FAST OVER THE WEB?
As long as YOUR internet connection is 3 MBit/second or better, you won't see a noticeable difference in how your program runs. The SRS Cloud has a 1 GBit connection to the internet provider backbones which is standard for internet type servers. We can show you the performance with our demo program (www.SRScomputing.com/form.asp).
IS MY DATA SECURE?
SRS has partnered with Expedient Communications (www.expedient.com) to co-locate a server at their facilities in Pittsburgh which features "high performance, dedicated, redundant telecommunications backbones, power and HVAC systems with a N+1 configuration." What does that mean? Expedient's facility provides 2 independent sources of power supply backed by a generator that in an emergency can run on diesel fuel. Internet is supplied by 6 separate internet providers, insuring that your data is accessible when you need it. SRS will backup your data nightly to a secondary site in the highly unlikely case that the Expedient data center experiences problems. Your SQL database is constantly being "mirrored" in our SQL Cluster environment so that a complete copy of the database is housed 30 miles away. Should the primary SQL database fail, the secondary clustered database will automatically take over and the client will not even know that there was an outage at the primary site. We have created a redundant system to insure you won't be without data as long as have an internet connection.
WHO SHOULD CONDSIDER THE SRS CLOUD?
Clients with multiple sites who are not networked together will gain the most benefit as we now can provide you a SINGLE database that functions for ALL sites so that data can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Clients who want access to their database from home or mobile locations now have full capability from any computer with an SRS installation. Multiple branch corporations benefit as well as broadband access points to the Expedient backbone rather than your local servers, allowing for faster access and reduces the bottleneck of all branches connecting to the main branch's network for their data access.
FAQ:
No, the SRS Cloud maintains the database and your local computers access the data from it. You would only need a server if you have internal documents that you want to store. This is also a feature we plan to add to the SRS Cloud. Yes, we recommend a network connection of at minimum 1 MBit Download / .25 MBit Upload. Most connections are typically faster. The faster your internet connection, the faster your performance. Absolutely. We have a dual backup system. First, your live data is fed into SQL Cluster so that it is stored in two physical locations. If the Expedient site ever goes down, as it will for routine maintenance, the secondary site takes over and the client is actually not even aware there was an outage. Second to that, each database is backed up nightly to the secondary storage facility. Of course. Your computer prints from local files to your local printers. Yes, when you add a file to V-Files or an image to a document, that image is uploaded to the SRS Cloud automatically. If another user on another computer accesses that file,
it is downloaded to their local computer for fast access. We can offer far more tools, such as our document designer, that are not able to be applied to a browser-based program. Also, we are able to provide another tier of security – only those computers that you have installed SRS are able to access your data. This is very different from a browser based system that uses a web interface for your username and password only. We limit access to ONLY THOSE COMPUTERS YOU HAVE INSTALLED THE PROGRAM, not any computer in the world. Your database requires an internet connection so you would be unable to access your data until the internet is accesible. As long as you are under an SRS service contract, we will provide a backup file of your data to you. If you are not under a service contract, we will charge you a fee to provide the file to you.