With the imminent arrival of Act! Premium Cloud servers in Canada early next month, many of our regular Premium subscribers are wondering if they should consider switching. While not every situation is the same, we think the majority of our subscribers should consider moving to the new Act! Premium Cloud (APC).

You can read the Act! announcement of these new servers HERE.

What is APC?
Act! Premium is a feature-rich, customizable solution that offers unparalleled flexibility to accommodate all the unique ways you do business. With the new Act! Premium Cloud, you always have instant online access to your data, no matter where you are, through a modern, secure AWS platform, and the peace of mind that comes with automatic upgrades, maintenance, and backups. Recently Act! migrated their super-fast 64-bit SaaS offering to the Act! Premium Cloud platform to produce the fastest Act! Premium Cloud experience ever.

Let’s take a look at the top seven reasons to make the move to APC.

1. Deployment flexibility – The best of both worlds!
   Act! Premium Cloud offers all the benefits of an online solution – with the option to continue to use (and sync data to and from) the familiar Act! desktop solution that you already know and love. Best yet, you’ll retain your customizations and can continue to use your desk-top-based add-ons. This hybrid approach lets you work offline on your local machine or device and sync to the cloud when you have internet access. With Act! Premium Cloud and Desktop Sync, you can enjoy total flexibility in how you access and use Act!, including the following perks:
   1. support for more of the add-ons you enjoy, including custom tables, click-to-dialers, accounting integrations, automation tools, and many others
   2. more robust MS Office integrations
   3. faster local access to the data, with all the features that only the Windows client can deliver.
       
2. Convenience
   Another advantage of moving to the cloud is convenience. Instant online access, cross-platform compatibility, and automatic upgrades ensure you get and stay productive. 
   Managing your team is a snap, as you can easily add or remove users without a costly or time-consuming onboarding process. Data can be accessed by those who need it right away, wherever they are, and constantly revised in real-time, so that everyone always has access to the most up-to-date information.
   And you don't have to worry about your user's hardware anymore either, as accessing Act! Premium Cloud has lower system requirements than the Windows client, and is supported by PC's, MAC's, and even most tablets.
   
   
3. Peace of Mind
   One of the major benefits of Act! in the cloud is that there are no up-front costs associated with hardware or installation expenditures, or resources to track and perform software maintenance.
   Since the software resides in the cloud, all of the software’s technical elements and updates are handled by Act!, without any action needed by you. Automatic nightly backups ensure your data is protected at all times and that you’re covered in the event of an unplanned outage or disaster. 
   
   
4. Modern, secure platform
   Act! Premium Cloud is a SOC 2 compliant solution hosted on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform providing you with best-in-class performance, security, and reliability. And, Act! Premium in the cloud is scalable. You can easily add users or storage as your business grows without investing in more expensive servers or data storage. 
   In fact, APC now supports MFA for added security. Read more about that HERE.
   
   
5. Subscription benefits
   With an Act! subscription, you’ll always have immediate browser-based access to the newest features and compatibility updates, world-class secure hosting, integrated marketing automation, online resources, and expert technical support.
   
   
6. Instant access to a reliable WebAPI
   With so many powerful WebAPI tools like Linktivity Suite, Act4mail, Handheld Contact, QuickTasks, and Webplanner.com, just to name a few, you need a robust 64-bit API that you can rely on, and start using on day one. With Act! Premium Cloud there's no API to setup, or Act! Connect Link to fuss with, you get a robust 64-bit API address you can plugin into your addons and go.
   1. understanding how the Act! Web API works
   2. Extend the power and reach of Act! using the Web API
      
      
7. Cost
   Act! Premium Cloud pricing is both stable and fair. Not only has the price not changed for either offering in three years, the cost argument for moving from Premium to Act! Premium Cloud is compelling. Consider these facts:
   1. Act! Premium subscription lists at $450
   2. Act! Premium Cloud customers pay only $30 more and get the six benefits listed above. That's right, for the cost of a cup of coffee per month, you can host each of your users in the cloud and get reliable dual access to your data, while enjoying all the subscription benefits available to you. The normal cost of hosting by a third party is $10/month/user, meaning APC saves you 75% on your hosting costs.
   3. What's more, for businesses looking to move exclusively to the cloud, Web-only access costs only $360 per user, per year, meaning you can get hosting & Act! for $90/year less than the cost of Act! Premium alone.

Act! Premium Cloud offers you unparalleled flexibility and is the perfect-fit CRM solution for your business. To learn more about the different features and prices of these different portfolio options, click HERE to go to our pricing page, or click HERE to start your 2-week trial of the new Act! Premium Cloud.