There has been a shift occurring in the way that companies access the software they use. Software providers are moving more towards providing hosting services rather than having software clients stick with the more traditional model of on-premise software installations. While some software users have opted to create their own cloud environment, the complexity of the platforms offered and the need of high-level expertise to manage these platforms have left users seeking other ways of managing their mission critical environments. For this reason, software providers aren’t the only ones spurring on the trend of hosted applications – software users and their IT departments are also increasingly embracing the opportunity to take advantage of this service.
Hosting services provided by the vendor offer clients several benefits, some of which have become critical for many companies due to the shift in operating practices brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. More and more employees continue to work from home, a trend that may see some reversal once the crisis is over, but is unlikely to revert to pre-COVID levels. In an article describing the benefits of hosting, Acuity Consulting Group states that “hosted solutions allow users to work from anywhere with an internet connection, enabling collaboration and increasing productivity.” 1 As a result of this convenience, savvy software clients turn to hosted software as a solution which aids in more flexible work practices.
The benefits of hosting are not just limited to accessibility, however. Provided that the hosting environment is built upon reputable and reliable components, hosted software also eases the client’s burdens as far as security, flexibility of scale, upgrade automation, support, disaster recovery, and maintenance. Being able to outsource these crucial components to a software’s own provider allows organizations to direct more of their focus and manpower toward their critical operations.
In our constant efforts to provide only the highest level solutions for our HFA clients, Emphasys Software has architected our hosting environment utilizing one of the most trusted cloud services platforms, Microsoft Azure. We take pride in the offering we have built upon that solid foundation, as we find more and more that it allows us to better serve HFAs across the country.
Security
We know that the agencies we serve can’t afford to risk their critical, sensitive data in the hands of vendors with unsophisticated security standards. Because we have partnered with Microsoft Azure, our clients reap the benefits of their 3,500 global security experts that ensure its health 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are here to help HFAs secure their environment and ensure they can focus on doing what they do best: serve the families depending on HFA services.
Flexibility of Scale
We are able to provide our clients with additional computing resources for year-end processing or growing organizational needs – without the need to purchase or implement additional hardware components.
Upgrade Automation
When it is necessary to extend and upgrade existing network infrastructure, we work hand-in-hand with our partners to undertake that monumental task so that our clients don’t have to. This removes the agency’s need to purchase the latest version of SQL Server, add additional ram to their Database Server, or update the application server.
Disaster Recovery
Because we want our clients to be prepared for any eventuality, Emphasys offers a comprehensive disaster recovery solution, which ensures that organizations can continue operations even through disasters that would shut down any lone data center.
Maintenance and Support
Emphasys has built a Cloud Engineering Team to extend our existing Technical Support Team, ensuring our clients have a robust team to handle any issues that may arise. We’re also happy to assist IT teams in other needs such as database refreshes, ongoing Emphasys product maintenance, and authentication/authorization management for their users. Additionally, we make maintenance releases and patches available for agencies’ test environments as soon as they’re released, leaving their teams – and budgets – more time to add value to their constituents.
While Microsoft Azure is available for any IT department to take on, it is a complex platform to manage and requires expertise. Our knowledge, experience, and certifications have given us the ability to leverage all its benefits on behalf of our HFA clients. As part of a larger conglomerate of different software providers, Emphasys HFA has also been able to leverage resources and knowledge from our sister companies in Aquila Software. We take pride in the robust hosting environment that we have created, and we are uniquely positioned to serve it to our clients. As a result, more and more HFAs are choosing Emphasys as their preferred hosting provider.