Hosted Estimating Software on the Cloud - Is it beneficial?

Inquiries for hosting estimating applications are coming in a lot these days. One reason we find is that many small-medium businesses are looking for options to minimize their on-premises server or data management.

Here is an exciting story of one such hosting inquiry that eventually contracted us as their cloud hosting provider. This article summarizes our experience with the client, how we assisted them migrating to a cloud-hosted model and points out one of the core benefits of hosted software.

Armada Hoffler, a general contracting firm in Virginia with over 100+ employees and about $30 to $50 million in revenue, searching for service providers who could host their estimating and take off applications. Tony, their IT director, found us online and called to check in about our expertise on Sage and Oncenter applications.

When asked why he was looking for application hosting - Tony said his company decided to minimize the physical IT equipment management and reduce recurring maintenance costs. Therefore, a usage-based application hosting model made sense for Tony and his team.

Cloud Hosting Expertise

Offloading their existing workloads requires expertise in understanding their estimating, takeoff software and deployment. AECCloud has deep expertise in construction focused applications, so migrating the data and deploying the applications did not seem hard.

Requirements

An estimate of 40 users in total was using both sage estimating and on-screen takeoff applications. In addition, they required the hosted workspace to provide the ability to store data, share data, manage different job folders, set security permissions, access to Microsoft productivity suite and on-call support. So, application hosting, plus support and maintenance.

Software & Platform Analysis

About five years ago, you needed a physical dongle to authenticate licenses for Onscreen Takeoff. Besides, since the company was using Sage Estimating and a connector to On-Screen Take Off, the deployment had to be planned so the working setup of the two applications would not break.

Sage Estimating was running on a pervasive database and had to convert it into an SQL database. Moreover, it is a specialized database conversion service, so we advised Tony's team to seek an expert's help.

Data & Application Migration

After going through their existing setup requirements, we drafted a migration plan and shared it with the stakeholders.

We built a hosted cloud IT environment compatible with sage estimating and on-screen takeoff. The overall migration plan had two phases. One was a test phase with a selected user group to test and provide feedback. The second phase was a complete cutover. After the testing period, we did a complete migration over a weekend. By the start of the next week, all users were logging on to their new hosted system.

Shift to Azure

After two years, when we made a technology switch to Microsoft Azure, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), the OnCenter had also advanced their technology on the licensing model. It did not require a physical dongle anymore. Still, it needed a method to authenticate the licenses in the network where the application was running.

Cloud Hosting Benefit

There are many benefits to moving your applications to a cloud-hosted model. However, since the hosting model is scalable and transparent, Armada Hoffler could keep their costs in control while enjoying top-class cloud services and support. Yes, a cloud-hosted model for sage estimating and on center's takeoff application is beneficial in this case. It could be for other use cases too.

Your Partner for Cloud Hosting

Suppose managing applications in-house is pulling down your performance, and maintenance cost is going up. Why not consider migrating to a cloud-based hosted model? We have been assisting numerous clients in providing them with options to make that switch and ensuring they are satisfied with the services.

AECCloud is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider, and we assist our clients with multiple options that fit the business needs.

If you are in the middle of evaluating reducing your on-premises application management, including estimating, takeoff, and other functions, give us a call. We would be happy to assist you.