This article covers two types of migration. First, what you need to know in order to migrate to OS/SAFE from SAFE for Windows and/or Ollie and/or WebSAFE. Secondly, it also discusses the possibility of running your existing SAFE for Windows software to a virtual hosting environment (aka ‘the cloud’).

What, When, Where And How Much: The Basic Choices

The process and expenses for migrating to OS/SAFE depends on your current installation and where you wish to install the product(s).

1. First off, we have our flagship product OS/SAFE, which is, in short, SAFE running in ‘the cloud’. OS/SAFE also contains all the functions of Ollie to serve the on-line ordering and management needs of your customers. There is no need for any hardware such as a server in your office (unless of course you need one to perform other office functions.)
2. Secondly, of course we still support Ollie and SAFE on Windows Server so if you do wish to maintain a hardware server you can do so and move your existing installation over to that.
3. You can also purchase OS/SAFE for your on-line ordering needs, but stick with SAFE for Windows on the desktop. We can configure OS/SAFE to run your current Ollie functions and still communicate with your in-house server running SAFE for Windows. In short: SAFE on your desktop and Ollie in ‘the cloud’… although it’s really OS/SAFE.
4. Finally, if you aren’t quite ready to move to OS/SAFE you can choose to run Ollie and SAFE via a virtual Windows Server. Several ISPs now provide a virtual Windows environment, where you can run SAFE for Windows and Ollie with the software actually executing from ‘the cloud’.

Costs

If you are enrolled in our RSS Premium Customer Service Program, that there is no charge for migrating to OS/SAFE–it’s included as part of your Premium RSS subscription. However if you want to use options #1 and #3, there will be a charge to migrate over any of the various customizations we’ve done of over the years for SAFE or Ollie. Ask your Technical Support Rep for specific details.

Differences In System Requirements

A. Option #1 requires that your ISP/Hosting plan be on a dedicated server with a guaranteed level of service. This is to accommodate the much higher throughput necessary to run OS/SAFE.

B. Options #2 and #3 will cost you nothing from us unless you want us to perform the work of migrating your database and web services (ie. IIS Internet Server). Typically we will be asked to do this if your IT company is not conversant with IIS or Microsoft SQL Server.. You can hire us to do the migration right from the moment the new server is installed to avoid any down-time. Contact your Technical Support Rep for a quote.

C. Option #3 requires an ISP that supports a virtual Windows environment. SAFE and Ollie have been tested to run properly in such an environment, however we cannot guarantee your level of service since we are not controlling the server. This is not usually a problem, but we have to cover our butts by telling you that.

Choosing The Right Migration Strategy

Each approach has pluses and minuses.

Option #1 is a good plan if you don’t think you will need an office server that does very much–In other words: if your in-house server will not be taxed a lot. It’s primary benefit is that this is where most of our development time is now going so if you are expecting to grow your business significantly over the next few years, it will grow with you. There is a definite learning curve, however, since you’d now be working in an essentially new program. It might be worth it to consider another training session.

Options #2 or #3 might be a good plan if you don’t see your needs for either Ollie or SAFE changing much in the near future–especially if you’ve already budgeted for a new server. Choose #2 if your SAFE needs will remain the same but you will want to expand your online-ordering business significantly. Since OS/SAFE runs underneath WordPress, it allows for almost complete customization of your customers’ experience. Just one example is that our web site runs on OS/SAFE.

And finally, Option #3 makes sense if you don’t see your needs for either Ollie or SAFE changing much in the near future. In this case you are outsourcing your server needs to a hosting company. The monthly fees are significant, but on the other hand, if you amortize the cost of a new in-house server, you can buy a lot of months of service for what you’d pay for a new machine.

Other Questions

• How does OS/SAFE differ from SAFE for Windows and Ollie?

  In brief, OS/SAFE covers all of SAFE for Windows and Ollie and all our other products in one big package that runs on the web.

  The ‘SAFE’ portion works more like a typical web-based shopping cart system. We’ve tried to match the features of SAFE, but they are laid out in a much more ‘task-oriented’ fashion as is standard on the web. For example, instead of having an ‘Orders Browse’ with all sorts of buttons and right clicks, you have a menu with a 1., 2., 3. list of tasks. Eg. Enter an order, Print a PO, Print an invoice, etc…

  The customerfacing portion of OS/SAFE (Ollie) can be ‘themed’ to look like whatever you want. The thing that will appeal to your customers is that you can ‘theme’ OS/SAFE to match each customer’s branding. Plus it has a lot more features which cover inventory control and document management.

• Is there a Demo I can look at?

  Yes, of course. Please contact your Technical Support Rep or Customer Service.

• How steep is the learning curve for OS/SAFE vs. SAFE For Windows?

  We have worked hard to make sure that the learning curve is far shorter than SAFE.

  The biggest difference in work flow is that you can’t have multiple windows all open at the same time in a web-based app. It’s more linear, ie. performing one task at a time. This is the biggest change that experienced users experience. On the other hand, we get told all the time that, because it is a lot more ‘straightforward’ than SAFE/Windows.

• Will the order history migrate?

  Yes, all your orders will show up in your new installation of OS/SAFE. You’re not converting any data. OS/SAFE is, essentially, a new ‘front-end’. The back end (your data) remains the same.

• Can you explain the differences from Ollie? Will our customers have to learn a new way of ordering?

  It’s different in that it runs on WordPress®, which is the largest open source software platform in the world. And again, the work flow is only slightly different. I would say that it is much easier for new users because it works more like the kinds of internet shopping carts you/they are probably familiar with.

• How stable is OS/SAFE versus SAFE for Windows and Ollie?

  One reason we keep supporting Ollie is that some customers have an ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ attitude. That said, OS/SAFE is, in general, more reliable than even Ollie. We’ve had over a decade to build in the latest best practice web engineering and that helps to insure a flawless experience for you and your customers.

• Are there any other costs?

  OS/SAFE is essentially ‘free’, however, if you’ve had extensive customizations, you would need to hire us to configure it to work as your installation does now.

• What if something goes wrong? Can you fix problems with a virtual server?

  Of course! In fact, OS/SAFE is easier to ‘work on’ if something does go wrong than most hardware servers we contact via Terminal Services or Remote Desktop. In fact, ease of maintenance was one of our explicit design goals.

  If you run in a virtual environment, we can access that environment and perform most any update or fixes just as we do now. Think of it as how you now use Terminal Services/Remote Desktop. It’s the same concept. The difference is that the ‘server’ is located somewhere else. You’re not paying for hardware, you’re essentially renting it. And then everyone accesses SAFE via Remote Desktop. So in a sense, it’s exactly how your client companies are doing things now.

The Process

There are two possible tracks: the first being whether or not you will be maintaining your own server or moving to a virtual hosting environment (ie. ‘the cloud’). The other track is whether or not your are migrating from SAFE for Windows and/or Ollie to OS/SAFE. If you elect not to migrate to OS/SAFE but rather to move SAFE for Windows and Ollie to a virtual hosting environment, you will need to set up a hosting plan with a web hosting company–that only takes a day or so.

If you wish to migrate to OS/SAFE from SAFE for Windows and/or Ollie, then we need time to check your installation to see if there is custom code we need to convert to OS/SAFE. This can take as little as a day or as much as a month. It just depends on the amount of customizations we have done for you over the years.

Finally, there is the actually migration, where we move everything over to the new site with a custom data migration script. This is an overnight procedure. Your existing SAFE for Windows and Ollie continue to function, but we suggest you do not use them since that will make the dataset we migrate obsolete.

Once the migration is complete, we point your new web ordering site to the IP address of your new OS/SAFE install. Your IT guy will likely need to help with this. That only takes a few minutes. Assuming the data looks OK, you’re now using OS/SAFE. In the unlikely event that the data conversion did not go smoothly, you can simply continue to use Ollie and SAFE while we correct the data migration script.