Could TAM Online work for us?

[Jim Jensen]

Not sure but either 2003 or 2007 viewer.  It will install when you run asupdate on the workstations.

It's 2003, but there's no cost and Bob's right, installation will be done as part of the process of updating the workstations. I was advised by Applied that when updating, you should run ASUPDATE on each station when you finished x.0 installation, before going to the next one. I don't know what versions they will tell you step through, but if you install 8.0, then run asupdate, when you get to 9.0 do the same, then again at 10.0 and of course whichever you stop with 10.4 or 10.7. I skipped that step on 10.0 because and I had conflicts with some stations because it missed installing some new files that the x.0 version installs, but the later ones don't install. WordViewer could be included with that.

[Mike]

I am bringing this topic back up as my partners and myself are having a dispute - they want TAM ONLINE and I have reservations as per this earlier posting - but since this posting is a year old, have  concerns changed?

Keeping in mind we are in Canada........ should  we be concerned about...........

- disaster planning? I think this is obvious, but after last week's tornadoes in the USA or an ice storm that could shut us down for several weeks, what do you think about this? (I now have a backup generator that powers the building as long as the building exists). The server is in this building.

- security concerns - we have the privacy act in Ontario - any comments whether security should be an issue since the USA has different legislation than Ontario?

- would TAM online really make the user a beta tester? We beta tested version "3" if you can imagine and then swore we would be the last 3rd in on new versions after that experience!

- what about backups? (I am a little nervous thinking the backups could be in the possession of someone somewhere with TAM online)

- if you have several offices, would you allow then to have a different version of TAM?

Thanks.

[Lance Bateman]

One thing to be aware of - on TAMOnline you have no control over upgrades to versions.  When they want to move you to 11.1, you are moved.  (This is one of my issues, as releases are so buggy when they are fully released).  As to offices being on different releases - the only thing I know is that if they are serviced through different locations (I don't know if this happens for a national agency or not) - the locations for the servers don't always go to the newest release at the same date.

[Jeff Zylstra]

If you have either agency procedures or department procedures that depend on TAM functioning in a certain way you may not like the lack of version control. 

I don't know if there are speed issues or not with TAM Online, but there are certainly internet access dependencies as there are with any cloud software setup.  No internet - no access to TAM.  If you're e-filed or transactionally filed in any way, you're up a creek without the internet.

[brinkerdana]

Mike, the responses you received are legitimate considerations to moving to TAMOnline. 

As for multiple offices, I believe they would all be on the same version and TOL server.

I don't see how many users you have.  You also don't mention if you have an in-house IT person.

TAMOnline requires a few extra key strokes for attaching, but otherwise acts just like your own TAM.  You'd also need to keep a server for 3rd party software, including Outlook.

[Jeff Zylstra]

Mike, the responses you received are legitimate considerations to moving to TAMOnline. 

As for multiple offices, I believe they would all be on the same version and TOL server.

I don't see how many users you have.  You also don't mention if you have an in-house IT person.

TAMOnline requires a few extra key strokes for attaching, but otherwise acts just like your own TAM.  You'd also need to keep a server for 3rd party software, including Outlook.

Dana brings up a couple of good points.  If you have an agency of 5 people, maybe TAM Online makes sense.  That said, you still will have to have a server for any third party software so until third party software is all stored on the cloud, you still have the expense and upkeep of a server, and the need to make backups.

[Ben Thoele]

Will you know where your data is?  Will you have control of your number one asset?  The current state of outsourced cloud hosting is about the same as the banking industry in the 1930s.  Outsourcers are telling businesses not to keep their data under your pillow but on the flip side once you outsource your data, you can't just withdrawal it.   We use outsourcing for things like spam filtering but these are services that I could drop in a matter of hours and switch if there was a problem.  I envision a private cloud where agencies have control of their data and can move services such as email, phones, and TAM from providers as they choose.   Think drop and drag your TAM app from Rackspace to Amazon because they aren't meeting your SLA's.
Let's let Applied Systems focus on what they do best which is write great software and provide great software support.  I always love when companies that want you to outsource aren't outsourcing services outside of their core mission.  Rack Space, Amazon and Applied Systems, great hosting providers.

[Jeff Zylstra]

Just saw this post pop up again after a while.  Data security has a lot to do with the financial solvency of the company who is hosting it as much as it does with company policies on ownership and accessing it.  My biggest fear is that one day they'd just shut down with little or no warning and you would never get a hold of anyone again.  I do NOT think that's a problem with Applied, obviously.  Another issue is accessing all of your attachments if you somehow switched systems.  Any vendor pretty much has you there.

I've spent several hours with TAM Online recently, and there are some latency issues.  Small things that you take for granted on the in-house version are a real pain on TOL.  Primarily, going back and forth between customer file and prospect files.  I don't know if it happens when switching between customer and say company files or vendor files.   It can take 5 minutes before the system becomes available again when switching between the two.  I don't know if that was an anomaly because I was helping move clients from prospect to customer, or if there was something wrong but it was extremely frustrating as the system would lock up for minutes at a time.  Even once both customer and prospect files were loaded, the same system hangs occurred when switching between customer and prospect, even if I waited 60 seconds or so for the system to write any changes to both files.   I couldn't put up with it, but maybe there's a work around to get more acceptable performance.

[Lance Bateman]

Another thing to consider - if you go TAMOnline, you lose control over software updates - if TAM releases a new one, it's upgraded, problems and all.  Personally, I tend to wait for the "brave ones" to plunge ahead and find the problems, and wait for an update to be installed until the fixes are in.