“For a small company like ours, implementing Sage 200 running on the Windows Azure platform saves money. You can avoid buying stand-alone software and a server …. Instead, you can simply connect to the cloud, which is much more cost-effective.”

Russell Boldock, Accounts Manager, ECS

ECS, which provides insurance and risk management services in the United Kingdom, needed to update its financial management software. Instead of choosing another on-site application, the company implemented a solution from Microsoft partner Sage that runs on the Windows Azure platform. As a result, the company reduced its total cost of ownership and simplified deployment. ECS has also gained continuous availability and the confidence to deploy future solutions in the cloud.

Business NeedsECS, which provides insurance and risk management services to individuals and corporations of all sizes throughout the United Kingdom, has a reputation built on personalized customer service. Based in Sheffield, England, the company offers a broad spectrum of services that include financial advice, business disaster recovery, and valuation.

With a small team of 40 employees, the company would prefer to keep its focus on providing excellent customer services rather than IT infrastructure. So when it needed to update its Sage MMS financial management software, it looked for a solution that it could implement easily and affordably.

Sage is a leading global provider of business applications, and ECS was using its software to track customers’ payments and cash flow. “We’re a small company with a small team,” says Russell Boldock, Accounts Manager at ECS. “We’ve always been comfortable using Sage, so that’s the first place we’d look. However, we didn’t want a big investment in hardware and software.”

SolutionIn May 2012, Sage business partner BHP IT asked ECS to consider Sage 200 Online software, which runs on the Windows Azure platform. After discussions with Sage, the company was confident that training costs would be minimal and that the transition to a cloud environment would be easier than an on-site upgrade. ECS decided to join the Sage Hand-Held Site Program for testing an early release of Sage 200 Online.

With help from BHP IT, the migration from older, on-site software to Sage 200 Online went smoothly. After ECS tested the solution for a month, BHP IT installed client software on PCs and laptops. In terms of user experience, ECS reports little difference between Sage software running in the cloud and software running on-premises. “After going live with Sage 200 Online, everything went as planned,” says Russell Boldock. “We had about half a day’s training and the features were very similar to the ones we’d used with our on-site version of the software. It was pretty straightforward.”

The solution, which is based on Windows Azure SQL Database, integrates with a

Customer: ECSWebsite: www.ecsbrokers.comCustomer Size: 40 employeesCountry or Region: United KingdomIndustry: Professional services—Outsourced managed servicesPartner: SagePartner Website: www.sage.co.uk/sage-200

Customer ProfileBased in Sheffield, England, ECS provides comprehensive insurance and risk management services to businesses throughout the United Kingdom.

Software and Services Windows Azure platform− Windows Azure − Windows Azure SQL Database

For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies

Windows AzureCustomer Solution Case Study

Financial Services Firm Reduces TCO and Simplifies Deployment with a Cloud Solution

large number of add-ons from multiple vendors that are designed to meet the needs of specific industry sectors. In addition, the system is highly customizable, which means the solution can be tailored to the exact needs of the customer.

BenefitsWith Sage 200 Online running on the Windows Azure platform, ECS has cut its cost of ownership, simplified implementation, and provided continuous availability of management software for its accounts team. As a result, the company looks forward to deploying other solutions in the cloud.

Reduces Total Cost of OwnershipBy upgrading from an onsite solution to an accounting platform that is running in the cloud, ECS has avoided a large investment in server hardware and software as well as ongoing maintenance costs. “For a small company like ours, implementing Sage 200 running on the Windows Azure platform saves money,” says Russell Boldock. “You can avoid buying stand-alone software and a server that runs for three years and then gets out of date. Instead, you can simply connect to the cloud, which is much more cost-effective.”

Simplifies ImplementationIn addition to reducing its cost of ownership, ECS has benefited from an easy, risk-free transition to a cloud environment. After the client software was installed, ECS employees could sign on and begin working immediately with little training. “Although Sage 200 runs in the cloud on the Windows Azure platform, as far as users are concerned, it could be running locally on their desktops,” says Russell Boldock. “This was a very easy implementation.”

Ensures Continuous AvailabilityWhen ECS decided to become an early adopter of Sage 200 Online, the company did so with the provision that it would revert to an on-premises version of the software if it was dissatisfied with the cloud deployment. Today, ECS has no intention of returning to an on-premises solution. “Sage 200 Online with Windows Azure has been easy to use, and has provided continuous availability,” says Russell Boldock. “We’ve had no unplanned downtime—it’s been absolutely fine.”

Provides a Future-Ready PlatformAfter its successful experience with Sage 200 Online, ECS looks forward to future solutions in the cloud. “Using Sage 200 Online is the way forward, and I’d say it’s more modern,” says Russell Boldock. “Besides avoiding hardware purchases, going to the cloud is just a natural progression in keeping up with technology. It’s the way to go.”

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Document published May 2013