Recommended Enterprise Software To Realize Full Benefits Integrated, Multi-user Customer/Vendor Relationship Management, Estimating, Order Processing, Inventory Control, Invoicing, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger and Payroll. Shared Business Class Internet Connection Word Processing & Spreadsheets w/Shared Document Access Computer Based, Multi-user Inbound & Outbound Faxing Interoffice and Internet Email Using Microsoft Exchange Company Web Site with eCommerce Shopping Cart Microsoft SQL Server & Crystal Reports for Custom Reporting Needs
Remote Connectivity Required? Many customers ask about operating our software remotely from another location. If your needs are only one connection at a time, we suggest using the remote desktop application built into Windows XP & Vista, which will connect to your office workstation and provide the same functionality as if you were sitting at your desk. However, if you require several people at one time to connect and operate our software, a dedicated Windows Terminal Server running Windows Terminal Services is required. We recommend Windows Terminal Server 2008. Windows Terminal Server/Services utilize the multi-tasking environment of Windows by allowing the server to act similar to a mini or mainframe computer. When using these products, the actual processing is done at the server. Thus, very little information is passed over the connection and performance is quite impressive. When multiple users require remote connectivity, a dedicated Terminal server is required since ORDERS Plus is not designed to operate directly on the fileserver computer itself. This gateway server then connects to your primary fileserver computer like a workstation, but provides the multi-user requirements needed for a wide area network. ATTENTION! Running ORDERS Plus on the primary enterprise fileserver will result in server processor time being distributed between enterprise requirements and the software application which will result in overall enterprise performance degradation.For more information, please speak with a certified consultant for each of these products. Proper implementation of this technology requires experience and definitely get references. The Terminal Server specifications are solely based upon your specific remote requirements. The information below is based upon a typical LAN environment, not requirements for this remote server. If your company requires Remote Access to our Integrated Financials, additional costs may apply. Make sure to discuss this with your ORDERS Plus Sales Representative. In Summary If you require additional information and or clarification about the above recommendations, Select Here to contact our Live Help Desk and schedule an appointment with our IT Services Group to discuss your specific requirements.
File Server Configuration Memory10 - 32M (Minimum), 64M (Preferred) available memory after operating system and any other applications are loaded. 250 MB free disk space, Dedicated RAID 1 Mirrored Data Disk Set (Preferred) Mouse or pointing device required Video Card that supports 16M colors (Minimum) Sound Card Monitor of your Choice (800x600 Resolution Minimum) Internet Connection8
Workstation Configuration Intel1 Pentium PIII, P4 (Minimum), Intel Core 2, Duo Core or Xeon (Preferred) Memory10 - 32M (Minimum), 64M (Preferred) available memory after operating system and any other applications are loaded. 10 MB free disk space Mouse or pointing device required Video Card that supports 16M Colors (Minimum) Sound Card Standard Monitor of your Choice (800x600 Resolution Minimum) HP Compatible Laser, High Speed Inkjet or Dot Matrix Printer7 Internet Connection8 Windows 2000 Professional (Minimum), XP Professional or Microsoft Business Vista (Preferred)2 Microsoft Office9 (Recommended)
Network Operating System Dedicated - Windows Server 2000 (Minimum), Windows 2003/2008 Server (Preferred)3 Peer to Peer - (MAX 3 Users) Windows XP Professional or Vista Business (Preferred)4
Network Adapters and Network Switch
1 Intel Processors - We strongly believe in Intel and it's compatibility with Microsoft Operating Systems. Although, AMD makes a good processor, we believe it is best designed for home and stand alone use. 2 Workstation Operating System - Typically any workstation purchased today will have the option for Windows Vista Business or XP Professional to be installed. We also strongly suggest that all workstations use the same operating system throughout the enterprise. This will assure compatibility throughout the enterprise and make it much easier to maintain for an IT person. We do not support operations on Windows ME or Windows XP Home or Vista Home, since these operating systems are designed for stand alone use and not optimized for network performance. 64-Bit Client OS Versions are not supported. 3 Dedicated - File Server Network Operating System - We recommend using Windows XP/Vista Professional for Workstations with Windows 2003/2008 Server. If using Windows 2000 Workstations, use Windows Server 2000/2003. Windows Server 2000 in conjunction with Windows Vista is not supported. Windows Server 2008 using Hyper-V or VMWare with a 32-Bit Server OS Version installed is supported. 4 Peer to Peer - Network Operating System - Many of our smaller customers ask about the Peer to Peer Networking features built into Windows. Let us first state that Peer to Peer Networking is good for a very small office. However, we would still suggest a dedicated server. When combining the tasks of a Workstation and a Server on one computer, you are asking for very poor performance and integrity. We would only suggest a maximum of 3 users when considering Peer to Peer. Also use either all Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000 Professional. This will assure compatibility throughout the enterprise and make it much easier to maintain for an IT person. 5 Network Adapters - Every bit of network traffic and data is going through the workstations and servers via the Network Adapters and Network Switch on your enterprise. A lot of low-end computers come with built-in network adapters specifically for internet connectivity, not for business class, multi-user software applications. We recommend 3COM/Broadcomm or Intel Network Adapters. We also recommend the same brand of network adapters be used through out the enterprise. DO NOT SAVE MONEY HERE! It's a small price to pay for DATA INTEGRITY and PERFORMANCE. Cheap Network Adapters included on a motherboard are designed for internet access and do not provide the quality and data packet integrity needed to address the needs of a multi-user software application like ORDERS Plus. 6 Network Switch - Every bit of network traffic and data is going through the Network Switch. We strongly recommend using a 3Com Network Switch. The decision to support 1 Gigabyte is solely based upon the network adapters being used. If your file server computer has a Gigabyte Network Adapter, get a 3Com Switch that has at least one 1 Gigabyte port. DO NOT SAVE MONEY HERE! It's a small price to pay for DATA INTEGRITY and PERFORMANCE. 7 HP Printers - We strongly believe in Hewlett Packard's' compatibility with Microsoft Operating Systems. A Laser Printer is Recommended if your company does not require multiple signed copies of purchase orders or invoices. ORDERS Plus was designed to eliminate the use of Dot Matrix printers since one can always re-print an invoice or purchase order transaction. If your company does use multipart invoices, ORDERS Plus also has a wide range of pre-printed forms available for use. 8 Internet Connection - During installation and advanced troubleshooting, a connection to the internet is required. Some files are downloaded during installation of product and service packs. Advanced troubleshooting requires an internet connection. 9 Microsoft Office - Certain features in ORDERS Plus are integrated with applications that are part of Microsoft Office. These include Document Management and Outlook Email Integration. Although, this is not required, it is recommended. Office Versions 2002/2003 & 2007 are compatible. (If using Microsoft Office, 512M of memory is required for optimal performance of Windows, Office and ORDERS Plus.) 10 Memory - Our software requires 32M (Required) 64M (Preferred) of memory available. Memory requirements must also take into consideration those specified by the operating system and any other software applications running at the same time. If using a Terminal Server, the common rule is to take the application requirements that will be run, times each user operating at the same time. Meaning, if a core application like Microsoft Office requires 256M available and there are 10 users, than an extra 2.5G should be available for user applications, in addition to the operating system requirements. Users with a large amount of data maintained in ORDERS Plus may require additional memory to load large databases and display them correctly. | 
