Server Options - On Premise or Hosted

axis diplomat and axis payroll can be run in a number of different environments, from small single user systems running on a stand-alone PC or notebook to large server-based installations supporting tens or hundreds of users.

For a full technical breakdown of the supported environments, please see axis diplomat and axis payroll Supported Environments.

For small systems (from 1-5 users), axis payroll and axis diplomat Express can be run in a peer-to-peer configuration. This means that one of the PCs on the network is designated as the host for the software and the other workstations run that software from that primary workstation.

For most systems, however, a server will be required. The Supported Environments page details which Microsoft Server versions are supported but axisfirst recommends the use of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) since the performance is invariably far superior by using that technology. This is because, as with any multi-user application that uses a single shared database, minimising the amount of data moved across the network gives better performance. Using Microsoft RDS, only screen updates are passed over the network and all data processing is done by the server.

Your axis diplomat and/or axis payroll server may be on your local network or may be hosted in the cloud (axisfirst uses Microsoft Azure for cloud hosted solutions). Both options have pros and cons and our consultants will be happy to discuss these with you in more depth.

Cloud hosting offers the advantage of removing the responsibility for having your own server and can be ideal for businesses spread across many sites (or with a significant number of home workers). Sadly, however, some businesses in the UK still suffer from slow internet connections and many that do have a fast connection do not have a service with a guaranteed SLA (Service Level Agreement) which means, in the case of a failure of their Internet connection, they may have to wait several days (or longer) for a resolution. For those businesses, an on-premise server is usually the best option.