FAQ

What's the difference between OpenERP and OpenERP On-Demand ?

OpenERP is the leading open source enterprise management software. OpenERP On-Demand is the official OpenERP ready-to-use cloud offer, provided by Almacom ( Thailand ) Ltd. , the golden partner of the OpenERP editor in Belgium. OpenERP On-Demand is based on the latest official stable version of OpenERP. There are no differences in terms of pre-configuration between the OpenERP On-Demand offer and the open source stable version of OpenERP. But the OpenERP On-Demand offer includes several additional services:

  • OpenERP configuration.
  • Infrastructure SaaS (software as  a service),hosting.
  • The OpenERP certified edition with other open source software.
  • Maintenance including bug fixes and migrations to newer versions
  • Incremental backups, etc.

 

What are the services included in the subscription?

For every subscription, we provide the following hardware resources:

  • One application server for OpenERP, with web and GTK access.
  • Two incremental backup servers.
  • An access to the control center, backup and monitoring system.

It also includes the following services:

  • The official OpenERP's edition containing: bug fixes within 3 working days, Migrations to each new version, security alerts.
  • Hosting at high bandwidth in the Bangkok data-center.
  • Maintenance and 24/7 monitoring of your servers.
  • An access to the control center to manage your IT infrastructure on our cloud.

All these resources and services are integrated in the main OpenERP On-Demand price. You will never have to pay any extra fee to your main subscription.

At OpenERP, we also have a strong focus on the security and reliability:

  • All accesses are made through a secure HTTPS connection.
  • Control Center, backups and OpenERP data are stored on different servers.
  • We apply security bugfixes updates very quickly (average of 3 working days.

 

Can you clarify your pricing system ?

Our pricing system is quite simple and flexible. The On-Demand solution is offered at a fixed monthly fee per month and per user. The number of users can be changed at any time and payment can be made on monthly or yearly basis. Your account will be automaticaly updated , based on the number of users. The monthly fee includes free access to all certified OpenERP modules. You will receive our invoice at the end of each month.The fee also includes a one full day training for your users. The invoice is payable within 21 days. If you are not satisfied with OpenERP On-Demand you are free to stop our services at any time. Once the  invoice is paid, you will receive a receipt  of payment. If no payment is received after 3 reminders, your account will be deactivated but will be reactivated automatically after the payment is received. We keep the data for 3 months after an account is closed, unless explicitly requested by the customer.You can pay using a credit card or with a bank wire transfer or cheque

 

How can I check my monthly usage and invoice ?

You have an access to real-time daily statistics on your OpenERP On-Demand usage page through the control center. For each OpenERP On-Demand subscription, we provide accesses to the following infrastructure to guarantee you a maximum of reliability and security:

  • OpenERP Server and Web Interface
  • PostgreSQL database
  • Two incremental backup servers that backup every installations 16 times for 3 months
  • An access to the global control center, so that you can control your OpenERP instances and servers and automate actions: migrations, duplication of instances, access to backups, etc.

We use the following servers for our entire infrastructure:

  • Processor: Dual-Core AMD Opteron(tm)
  • Processor 2218 HE
  • Memory: 8Gb Storage: 850 Gb, RAID-1 64-bit platform.

This infrastructure guarantees you a maximum of security and reliability at no additional cost.

 

Where is your On-Demand data center located? 

We have the data secure data center located in the center of Bangkok. at CAT Telecom. More information can be found here.

With OpenERP On-Demand, we want to give you a maximum of flexibility and avoid the Lock-In of traditional SaaS offers. So, the version of OpenERP used in OpenERP On-Demand is the same as the open source version of OpenERP you will find on OpenERP.com. From the control center, you also have an access to all your backup servers. So that you can download a dump of your PostgreSQL database and all your files from our FTP access and switch to an on-site installation of OpenERP.

 

Can I get a shell access to my servers?

For security and confidentiality reasons, we don't provide server shell accesses to our customers. 

 

I already use OpenERP, I would like to migrate to the OpenERP On-Demand offer, is this possible?

It is possible and the service is free. Contact us to migrate all your data on OpenERP On-Demand.

 

Can I import data from other software applications in my OpenERP On-Demand system?

OpenERP supports data importation from .CSV text files (Comma Separated Values) for any object of the system. If you succeed to export all your data to .CSV files, you should be able to import it in OpenERP. For experts, you can also connect your own scripts through web-services. Read our documentation here for more information. We also provide data migration services via Almacom (Thailand) Ltd. Contact them to get a quotation.

 

What is the difference between the ON-Demand and On-site solution ?

The On-site solution runs on a server installed in your company. Basically it contains all the standard certified OpenERP modules as in the On-Demand version. There is no limitation of number of users.For the On-Demand solution your data is stored on our hosting servers and can be accessed via a normal web browser. No IT infrastructure or other IT resources are required in your company.The monthly fee is based on the number of users.

 

Can I switch between OpenERP On-Demand and On-site OpenERP? 

Yes. The OpenERP On-Demand offer is based on the exact same version as the open source version of OpenERP. You can also get a real-time access to all your backups on OpenERP On-Demand. So, you can switch from OpenERP On-Demand to the On-Site solution or from the On-Site solution to the OpenERP On-Demand one easily if you have PostgreSQL database knowledge.

 

Can I request some services for support and training?

Yes, Netforce (Thailand ) Ltd. provides on-line assistance for your installation. If you need need more training on the OpenERP system to enhance your knowledge, Alacom ( Thailand ) Ltd. , provide these services at an extra fee.

 

What can I do if I find a bug in OpenERP On-Demand?

All paying customers benefit from an official OpenERP certified edition. When subscribing to our On-Demand solution, bug fixes are processed within 3 days.

 

How can I choose between OpenERP On-Demand and the On-Site OpenERP solution?

If you need to develop specific modules, you better choose the On-Site OpenERP solution and buy editions for the maintenance. If you don't need to develop new features, the OpenERP On-Demand offer will provide more services and flexibility at a better price. OpenERP On-Demand is a low-cost solution. To be able to propose you such a complete service at this low price, we need to be able to guarantee automatic migrations, a bug free system, stable evolution of the solution, security checked code, etc. For these maintenance reasons, we only provide standard quality certified modules in our OpenERP On-Demand solution. If you want to integrate customized or extra modules in your OpenERP, the On-Site solution is probably the better choice. With the On-Site solution, you have further possibilities to customize and add other modules to suit your specific requirements. You can contact Almacom ( Thailand ) Ltd.for these services. They will be able to support all customizations and maintenance required.

Although the On-Demand version uses standard modules , the flexibility of OpenERP allows you to design new features directly in the OpenERP user interface. So, we provide you with quite some flexibility to customize the On-Demand solution via the report designer, the screen and object editor, workflow designer, etc.

 

What should I do if I have specific needs ?

Due to the power of Open Object, OpenERP has built-in application designer tools. It is possible to adapt all screens using our object and screen designer, change the whole logic by using our workflow designer, customize all documents through our report designer based on Open Office, and automate tasks with our server action system. All these customizations are made through the user interface within the On-Demand version

 

How can I test the solution and my customizations ?

With OpenERP On-Demand, you can manage as many OpenERP instances as you want through the control center. You can create new instances or duplicate existing ones for your testing purposes.

 

What are the available languages ?

All the OpenERP languages are available in the OpenERP On-Demand and On-Site solution. Thai language is supported.