Hosted and Onsite
Overview
We support Hosted Installations and Local Installs. In Hosted we run the software and you access it through a web browser.
With a local install you run our software on your servers. This page
compares both models and allows customers to make an informed decision on which suits their needs best.
Choose the Product First, not The Delivery Model
Customers should choose a solution that meets their requirements, and then consider whether
the vendor offers a hosted solution or a on-premise solution. Customers who choose the deployment model
before the vendor are restricting the number of available vendors unnecessarily.
xAssets offers both models. With hosted we can receive alerts and therefore provide more proactive support, so the customer experience is improved.
But many customers understandably do not want hosted due to security concerns and vendor stability concerns. While xAssets
addresses all these issues, we still offer local installations or hosted solutions because we believe it should be the customers
choice and not a restriction in the technology.
xAssets customers can switch between a Hosted and on-premise Solution at any time.
Quick Guide to Hosted and on-premise Solutions
The following table gives a quick insight into the reasons why buyers choose between a Hosted Solution or a on-premise Solution
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Speed of implementation
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With Hosted you can deploy a solution without provisioning servers in IT.
xAssets can usually deploy hosted solutions within a few hours of receiving a Purchase Order.
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on-premise solutions require a server in IT and the software deployed on that server.
xAssets usually performs local implementations over the web using WebEx (tm) or VPN connections.
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Upfront Cost
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Cloud hosted implementations spread the cost over each year so the total per year might be
less than the corporate RFP threshold or PO Approval threshold. With cloud hosted, there are no
Windows Server, Sql Server or other licensing costs.
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Unlike most vendors xAssets also supports annual licensing for local implementations at the same pricing as cloud hosted.
Perpetual licensing is a higher cost upfront but after a few years the software can continue to run with minimal support subscription.
You would also have to pay for Windows Server and Sql Server licensing on the server.
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Data Security
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xAssets backs up data and logs many times per day and ships that data to secure locations, so your data is always backed up.
You can also download these backups to your own network.
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You are dependent on your IT department provisioning effective data backup and offsite shipping.
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Data on Corporate Backup
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xAssets provides downloadable Sql Server backup files on a regular basis, so your data is added to the corporate backup.
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You are dependent on your IT department provisioning effective data backup and offsite shipping.
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Failover
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xAssets supports failover to servers at a separate geographical location,
so downtimes are relatively short in the event of a server outage.
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You are dependent on your IT department provisioning effective failover.
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Network Security
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xAssets uses SSL/https to transmit data so it is secure, but, as with all cloud hosted software, the data is transmitted across the internet in encrypted form.
Avoid vendors who do not use https.
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Data is not transmitted over the internet.
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Internal policy
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Choose cloud hosted if your internal IT policy allows hosted applications
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Choose on-premise of your Internal policy disallows hosted applications
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Internet Connection Bandwidth Usage
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Some hosted solutions use very high bandwidth, especially in Network Discovery applications.
xAssets Network Discovery uses very minimal bandwidth even in a full Network Discovery, so the internet connection is not affected.
Other xAssets Applications use negligible internet bandwidth even with 100 concurrent users connected.
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on-premise implementations do not use the corporate internet connection
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Opening Ports
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Some hosted solutions require firewall ports to be opened. xAssets solutions do not require ports to be opened.
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on-premise implementations do not use the corporate internet connection so no ports need to be opened.
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Integration to Local Applications
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Some hosted solutions cannot access local applications without opening ports. xAssets can deploy a collection
server within the LAN enabling secure integration to any local application without using substantial bandwidth.
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on-premise implementations can have full access to integrate to local applications.
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Federated Queries
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xAssets is unable to offer querying data from other applications in real time in the hosted model as this would require open ports.
However customers can develop SOAP based Web Service calls to query data from hosted xAssets applications into customer owned applications.
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on-premise implementations can query data from other applications in real time and show the data in an xAssets query, form or report.
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Vendor Stability
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Some cloud hosted providers are reliant on long term revenue to achieve financial stability.
xAssets is financially stable, profitable and privately owned.
We support cloud hosted and on-premise solutions, ensuring long term and short term financial stability.
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Choose on-premise if you are concerned about vendor stability.
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Vendor Lock-In
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Cloud hosted providers typically hold customer data, locking customers into their solution.
xAssets grants access to Sql Server backup files, allowing
customers full access to their data at any time.
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Data is stored locally and the vendor can extract the Sql Server data into another application at any time.
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Hosted Benefits
Hosted installations save on server purchases, software licensing, manpower and operational resources, saving
your business time and money. And our Hosting Services have an excellent Disaster Recovery, Backup and Failover
infrastructure which makes your installation reliable and resilient.
- Support incidents can be resolved quickly because we have direct access to the application
- xAssets provides the hardware and software needed to run the system
- The customer provides an internet connection and browser
- Discovery and Integration are implemented using collection servers
- Save Money on Hardware, Software, Operational and Manpower costs
- The Service is purchased Annually so admin and renewals are easy to manage
- Full access to data via programmable web services and XML
- Full access to Sql Server Backup Files as part of the DR plan
- Recognition tables are updated automatically
- Upgrades are done automatically out of hours
- We offer solutions hosted at "The Planet" and "Rackspace", at the customers choice
- Disaster recovery and failover are included in the base service
Onsite Installation Benefits
Many of our customers have specific security requirements, such as defence installations, customers
holding sensitive asset data and customers whose security policy does not allow the storage of corporate
data outside of their firewall. These customers benefit from running xAssets Applications inside their
firewall on a Windows Server.
- Direct access to the Sql Server for customized queries and custom applications
- Customer takes responsibility for backup, failover and disaster recovery
- Existing server resources and licenses can be reused to host the application
- xAssets will push recognition data updates via web services, if required
- Receive installation, configuration and support assistance through web based services such as Webex
- Build Federated Queries, displaying data from other systems on your network within the xAssets Application
- Licensing can be Perpetual, Annual or Fixed Term