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MetaRecords > Services > MR8 > Cloud computing

What’s up in office management technology

If you are looking for an easier, more secure, and less expensive way to run your business, look at MR8 Cloud. It's the exact same MR8 system as MR8 Subscribe, but easier to set up and maintain, with 99.95% uptime guaranteed on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services.

Over 90% of Fortune 500 companies rely on Azure, including 3M, GE Healthcare, Mazda, McKesson, and NBC Sports. In addition to superior uptime, Microsoft has dedicated resources and processes to guarantee the security and privacy of data on Azure, including HIPAA certification and following international standards for privacy controls in the cloud.

MR8 Cloud

Already using MR8 and want to switch to MR8 Cloud?

View this video about RB8 Cloud (our cloud service for court reporting agencies) to learn more about what’s involved in moving to the cloud, what you get with MR8 Cloud, and what it costs.

Benefits of switching to MR8 Cloud

  1. No server to maintain  

    With MR8 Cloud, you get the exact same system as if you had MR8 in-house, but without a server, data storage, or IT staff.

    Instead, your MR8 system runs on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services. This network of remote servers hosted on the internet stores, manages, and processes your MR data, instead of using your server or personal computer. So it’s always up and always on — no more worries about server crashes. Microsoft guarantees 99.95% uptime. And you no longer have to buy and maintain server hardware, move your MR Server to new servers, or upgrade to the latest version of SQL Server software.

    You don’t even have to worry about MR8 system updates because the version in the cloud will always be the latest.

  2. Better disaster recovery  

    MR8 Cloud is protected by Microsoft Azure’s high availability and redundancy processes, which means your MR data is duplicated on multiple servers in real time. If the active server should go down, another server takes over with no loss of data.

    This is better than a back-up system, which only saves data up to a specific point in time, so any data entered since the last back-up is lost if something happens to the primary server. With MR8 Cloud, the most you will have to do is re-log in and keep working.

  3. Repository storage included  

    Your repository is in the cloud too, so you don’t have to worry about those files either. No need to maintain your own data storage facilities or use a 3rd-party data storage site. It’s all part of MR8 Cloud.

    And 100GB of storage is included in your monthly subscription with additional amounts available as needed.

  4. More secure  

    MR8 Cloud is more secure than an in-house system in many ways. One way is open port security: If you're trying to log in remotely without a secure connection, you do not need to keep the well-known default SQL port open; nor do you need to keep any custom ports open for RB Repository downloads. (And that’s one less thing you need IT to do.)

    And since it's on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services, it has security and privacy safeguards beyond what a single records retrieval company could provide.

  5. Economical & scalable  

    Switching to MR8 Cloud saves you money in three areas over time:

    • Direct costs, such as on-going expenses for electricity to power your server, HVAC to maintain the proper environment in the server room, even the server room itself or other dedicated spaces, such as for your file repository.
    • Indirect costs, such as IT staff to maintain all of that third-party hardware, troubleshooting its problems, fixing software bugs and coordinating with OMTI Support.
    • Hidden costs, such as low productivity due to server downtime or remote connection problems.

    Like the existing MR8 Subscribe, you can add or cancel user licenses as needed. Like MR8 Subscribe, the basic system includes one user license. Unlike MR8 Subscribe, MR8 Cloud also includes 100GB of cloud storage in the basic system. As your business grows, you can add more storage in 500GB increments. If later you don’t need extra storage, you can cancel those additional increments.

  6. Work from anywhere  

    With your MR system in the cloud, you and your staff are no longer tethered to an in-house server. As long as you can access the internet, you can work from wherever you want.

  7. One-source solution  

    MR8 Cloud eliminates the need for other 3rd-party software, such as SQL Server, or 3rd-party cloud storage or hard disk space in-house for repository files. You no longer have to spend time contacting other service providers to fix issues with their hardware or software. No more telephone tag between your IT staff and OMTI Support.

  8. Better service for your clients  

    If you have MR Web online offices, your clients and resources will notice that pages load faster. This improved performance is because MR8 SQL Server resides next to the Web Server in the cloud so information is relayed quicker.

    Your MR Web site content will also be safeguarded to the highest level. According to High-Tech Bridge Information Security Solutions, the security for MR Web sites of MR8 Cloud users is A+.

    And if your clients have any problem downloading files from MR Web, they can get the fastest downloads possible — depending on their internet connection speed — when you switch to MR8 Cloud.

  9. No need to move or re-install  

    Without a physical server, you won’t have to re-install your MR8 system if the server crashes, you upgrade hardware, or you move your MR Server. You won’t need to transfer your MR database to another computer in your system and have it re-attached.

    And with Azure’s high availability and redundancy processes, you will never need to restore your MR database from an earlier back-up. All of which means you never have to schedule and pay OMTI Support for MR Server re-installation & database moving services.

MR8 Cloud advantages

  • Same MR8 system
  • No downtime
  • No maintenance
  • No SQL Server
  • No in-house server equipment
  • No lost data
  • No need to back up data
  • Always most recent version of MR8
  • Repository storage included
  • More secure
  • Connect from anywhere
  • One source
  • Faster speeds from MR Web
  • Never have to move servers/databases again

MR8 Cloud disadvantage: Solved!

With all of this going for it, are you wondering what’s the downside?

With all of this going for it, are you wondering what’s the downside? MR8 Cloud users cannot create custom reports for their business, either with Access or other reporting tools. This is due to security issues with directly connecting to MR databases in the cloud. However, in August 2018, OMTI released Data Reader, a plug-in that allows you to use your MR data in other applications so you can create your own custom reports and more. Of course, if you prefer, we can write custom reports for you.

For more information about MR8 Cloud Data Reader, visit the plug-ins page.

Want to know more?

Read the MR8 Cloud white paper