Features & Benefits

ACT! Remotely Without Limits

ACT!Remote provides web access to fully functional ACT!, and all its features hosted on our servers. ACT!Remote provides access to fully functional ACT!, and all its features. All other solutions for remote access to ACT! strip away many of the major features, like mail merges and printing to a printer, that ACT! users have become accustomed to over the years (see comparison chart).

Allow Marginally Sick Employees to Work From Home

Reduce the negative impact of contagious illnesses to your team.

Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow Access

…from virtually any device, from any location, from any Internet connection. Applications hosted and maintained at our data centers, are remotely accessed via the Internet and function exactly as if they were running on your notebook or desktop computer. All authorized users can have secure access to the fully functional applications and data 24 x 7 x 365 (except during maintenance periods – usually Sunday evening from 10:00 pm – 4:00 am) from virtually any device, from any location, from any Internet connection.

Better Performance

ACT! performs better hosted on our servers. Due to the nature of this technology, ACT! performs better than on a local area network and as good or better than on the local hard drive of a high end pc.

Centralized File/Data Storage

No more redundancy of files in multiple locations. Store all your files in a central location on our server. No more copying files to multiple machines and trying to keep up with who has what version of the file when making updates.

Complete Team Collaboration

If you are currently using ACT! and synchronizing, the team members are only sharing partial data. Our hosting solution allows you to share documents, proposals, presentations, quotes, spreadsheets, document templates, reports, layouts, attached email and any other file that you choose, without having to email the files or copy them to the other team members’ computer. And new employees become part of the team much quicker allowing them to be productive sooner. This gives you the kind of collaboration a team should have, regardless of their geographical location.

Data Backups

How extensive is your current backup procedure? How important is your data? Our backup procedure is very extensive and thorough. All data hosted on our servers gets backed up every night and we retain each day’s backup off site for 30 days in a fire proof bank vault. In addition you can copy your data to your local hard drive anytime you wish.

Disaster Recovery

Do you have a disaster recovery plan? Disaster recovery is inherent with ACT!Remote! In the event that your work location is no longer functional, you won’t loose your data or your ability to run your applications and access your data. Simply log in through any Internet connection from a new location. No data to recover, no hardware or network infrastructure to rebuild. Everything will be waiting for you right where you left it.

Eliminate Expensive Network Infrastructure

Since we host so many applications, ACT!Remote can become your entire IT solution and replace your entire IT infrastructure from networking hardware to labor cost.

Think of it. No expensive network infrastructure to build or maintain. With ACT!Remote the Internet becomes your network. We have the capability of replacing your entire IT infrastructure from network hardware to labor cost, and become your entire IT solution. We can do this because in addition to ACT! we can host all Microsoft applications, including Exchange server, various accounting packages, and many other applications (see our list of currently hosted applications). All you need is an Internet connection. No other networking capabilities are necessary in order to share applications and data.

Eliminate Extra Trips Back to the Office to Enter or Retrieve Data

When a sales rep has finished his/her day of visiting customers, he/she can go home and enter the data, using the Internet, onto our secure server. Happy sales people are more productive. Also they don’t have to come back to the office if they need critical information prior to visiting a customer. It is always available from any Internet connection.

Eliminate Spikes in IT Budget

Keeping current with technology is expensive - no doubt - but even worse, it’s unpredictable. When you upgrade one application often times it means that you have to upgrade another to ensure that the two integrate. Often times this also means at some point a hardware upgrade also. In addition there are viruses, and other unexpected occurrences that cause spikes in the IT budget.

Since we include all Microsoft applications with our service, since the applications are running on our servers rather than on your equipment and since email never gets downloaded to your local machine thereby greatly reducing your chances of viruses, and for many other reasons, all of these expenses are eliminated; leaving you with the ability to stay current with technology at a predictable flat rate per month for each user. Planning your IT budget has never been this easy, even in your wildest dreams.

Eliminates Synchronization

Setting up synchronization for new users is laborious, filled with pitfalls and never works perfectly, creating an on-going maintenance migraine and frustrated sales reps who only want access to accurate data promptly. ACT!Remote provides that access and eliminates synchronization.

Enhance Response Time to Customers

Since the data is live, in real time, the team members can greatly improve their responsiveness to the customers. Better responsiveness equals happier customers and happier customers equal better business.

Experienced ACT! Certified Consultant Available to Assist in Customization

MaxPro Services, Inc. has been in the business of consulting on ACT! for nine years. We have worked with many companies, large and small. Our clients are in a large variety of industries and include companies like: Florida Power Corp., Trammell Crow, GTE Telecommunications, Warner Bros., Scottish Government, FL & TN State Governments, Hard Rock Cafe, Smith Barney, Prudential Securities, World Commerce Online, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Paine Webber, Raymond James Financial, Pinnacle Mortgage, ExecuTrain of Florida and various others.

Focus on Core Business

How much of your team's time and energy is spent on technology issues and trying to get technology to work? This is time that is taken away from your core business objectives. Let us do what we do best so that you can do what you do best. Your core business is enough to think about on its own. We provide the redundant, secure platform with guaranteed uptime that allows you to focus on your core business.

For Companies in Growth Mode

Grow much quicker than you thought possible for less money. Since ACT!Remote takes full advantage of the Internet you can instantly begin operations anywhere in the world without having to obtain office space, setup computer systems, or possibly procure furniture. New employees, and existing ones, can work just as effectively from home, or any location that has Internet connectivity, without coping files or lugging a laptop and continually having to synchronize data. In fact most would already have a computer at home with Internet connectivity.

Implementation/Rollout is as Easy as 1-2

To use our service simply (1) fill out an order form and (2) wait 24-72 hours to have your entire team sign in and begin using unlimited ACT! and sharing the database live. This is the most rapid deployment of ACT! possible! No application software to install, no server to setup, no workstations to configure, no operating system software to worry about (see system requirements).

Increase Productivity

To sum it all up, you will have a high return on investment, enhanced security, improved infrastructure, emergency backup, anytime, anyhow, anywhere access, better time to market and stay current with new technology at a low predictable monthly fee.

Increased Security

Your data is one of your most important assets – we take that seriously! Network security comprises a combination of address filtering routers, multiple redundant firewalls and intrusion recognition devices to provide the highest protection level possible for our customers' information resources. Routine security includes independent audits and intrusion tests by Microsoft. MaxPro can also provide robust VPN networking options to add additional further layers of security.

Less Risk of Data Corruption Due to a More Stable Environment

Under the old-fashioned method of accessing the ACT! database, default configuration settings, power surges/outages, hard drive crashes, systems crashes, etc., are very hazardous occurrences, and can often corrupt the database. Using ACT!Remote, if any of the above events occur, there is no effect on the database. The web server will complete the last command you sent and will be awaiting your return. In fact, inactive user sessions will remain open for at least one hour. Also, in a traditional LAN environment, ACT! caches data packets to local workstations which further exposes the database to corruption. ACT!Remote keeps all the data at the server, resulting in faster performance and a safer environment.

Live Data

No matter where the users are located, United States, England, France, Canada, etc., the data is live in real time. No more waiting for sync updates to occur. If the home office updates a record the remote user anywhere around the globe sees it instantly.

More Efficient Workforce

Stop wasting time in attempting to synchronize data, emailing and copying files to other employees, and spend that time in building relationships that turn into business.

No Hardware to Configure

How would you like to eliminate the typical technology process when you hire new sales people or implement new hardware or software? Now you can totally eliminate this time consuming unproductive and costly process. With ACT!Remote there is no need to procure, configure and then ship hardware to your users. All they need is Internet access. That means they are up and running instead of waiting to receive the computer that had to be loaded with software and configured for their use. They can be producing what they were hired to produce. To further illustrate this point ACT!Remote doesn’t even require you to use the Microsoft Windows operating system (see system requirements).

No Learning Curve for Existing ACT! Users

Hosted ACT! functions exactly the same as it does on the local workstation. If you already know how to use ACT!, you already know how to use our system. You do not need to learn how to use a new program because the program actually is ACT!.

No More Software Maintenance

We also maintain the software with current patches and service packs so you can focus on your business and not on maintaining your information technology. Our maintenance and upgrades are done during non-business hours so you also avoid lost productivity.

No Need to Install & Configure ACT! for New Users

ACT!Remote does not require ACT! to be installed anywhere at your company. We do require that you have a legal license for each user, so you will have to open the box to give us the serial number(s) – but the actual software does not have to be installed. The simplicity almost sounds too good to be true. Simply fill out an order form and sign on in 36-72 hours.

By comparison, traditional ACT! implementations require you to install the software on each computer and configure it to see the database and all the other associated files on the local area network. In many cases you also have to fine tune the server and the workstations in order to prevent corruption of the database and provide adequate performance. For remote users you would also have to setup synchronization and copy any custom layouts, reports, labels, envelopes, form letters, documents, etc., to their laptop or desktop. ACT!Remote doesn’t care what the tuning is like on your computer, because performance does not depend on your computer, it depends on ours…, and ours flys.

Reduce Downtime

ACT!Remote delivers a computing environment that is predictable, reliable, secure and cost effective. We use state-of-the-art hardware, operating systems, and networking components. Our infrastructure incorporates technologies that alert us of potential problems before they happen and allow us to replace faulty drives and even chips without taking systems down. All of our servers are redundant, and each server from within the data center is redundant. Our redundant power systems are hospital grade. All of this ensures you of system availability – all the time. We guarantee 99.7% uptime. In the unlikely event we don't achieve this in any month, MaxPro will credit the customer's account the pro-rata connectivity charges for that month of service.

Savings in Hardware Cost

Since the applications and data are hosted on a web server they are off-loaded from the users' systems. Also, since each user’s system only sends keystrokes and mouse clicks, minimal hardware configurations are required. Any remaining applications will perform better and the hardware will need fewer upgrades. This results in savings in hardware, IT personnel and user down time. This technology has been successfully tested on legacy PCs (i.e., a 486 with 8MB of RAM) with better than adequate performance. Bottom line, there will be no need to upgrade your systems to run applications on our servers for a long, long time.

Savings in Software Cost

The hassle and cost of software upgrades are a thing of the past. All hosted Microsoft software applications are updated automatically, without any downtime or additional cost. The monthly fee for ACT!Remote includes the software licenses for all hosted Microsoft applications and operating system software. This includes all software upgrades anytime during the life of the contract. This equates to substantial savings in software procurement and upgrades, now and in the future. When you consider the cost of the software along with the cost of IT professionals' time (in-house and/or contracted) as well as lost productivity by users waiting for their systems to be upgraded, this benefit alone could justify the service. Also, since we provide the software license for each user as part of the monthly fee, you can have the peace of mind that your company is compliant with Federal laws regarding software licensing and potentially avoiding costly fines.

Simplicity

With ACT!Remote you no longer have the hosted applications installed on every user's system. They are installed in one place and can be managed from a single point. This provides unmatched simplicity and efficiency.

Streamlined Support

Support with this service is radically more efficient than the traditional telephone support. First of all, since the application is installed in one location and shared by everyone, all users are on exactly the same version with exactly the same service pack . No more questions like, "What version are you on?" or "Have you installed the latest service pack?" All upgrades and service packs are installed automatically. Secondly, our technical professionals are able to see exactly what the user is seeing instantly by utilizing our advanced shadowing technology. It is not uncommon for a call that would have taken 30-45 minutes to be solved in 5 minutes or less, causing much less frustration and stress on both ends of the call. In addition MaxPro will provide additional support, based on the number of users, at no additional charge.

Team of Consultants & Engineers at Your Service

Are you at the point of needing a full time IT professional? IT professionals’ salaries are anywhere from 40-60k and higher. With our service you get an entire team of certified systems engineers and consultants. So you benefit from a wide variety of experience and expertise that can’t be found in any one individual.