The last few weeks have bought about an unprecedented change in the way organisations are working, and more and more people are experiencing the joys of home working for the foreseeable future. When you work from home the odd day here and there, you may not appreciate how much you rely on people in the office. Now everyone in your office is trying to access Dynamics GP remotely and some of you may be finding it slower and not as responsive.
So why is this?
In layman terms Dynamics GP is a fat client, processing all data on the client side, sending it forwards and backwards to the SQL server. For that reason, Microsoft recommends a 1000Mbps or 1GB connection to the server. When in the office, normal LAN cables are that speed. When at home and if you try to run the client application on your work laptop, the speed will be based on your broadband upload speed, thus too slow causing a very slow, laggy GP.
So what are my options
- Use it via a RDS/Citrix server (a virtual desktop) in the office which is sitting next to the SQL server. Only images are streamed back to the remote user, not requiring much bandwidth.
- If you don't have Terminal/RDS/Citrix servers, users can VPN to the office and then remote control your office desktop, simulating what happens in the former. However, this has cons such the dependency of your computer being on.
How can we help?
- Advantage can assist you by hosting Dynamics GP in Microsoft’s cloud computing platform Azure. By making it available in the cloud it is accessible at high speeds from any computer/browser in the world and doesn't require any software to be installed at endpoints. You can find more information on this option here.
- Alternatively, we can build and configure a Remote Desktop Service (RDS) environment and supply licenses in your infrastructure, ensuring that you and your team are always able to access GP.
We'll be back in the office soon, is it worth it?
In a word YES. The best case scenario for a vaccine is 12-18 months away, there may well be another large increase in infections once lock down is lifted. Or there may be another reason why you aren't in the office but by having a solution in place you are prepared for any eventuality.
If you would like to discuss your options please fill in our online contact form or give our team of GP experts a call on 020 3004 4600.
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