adminMost companies still organise and sort their data through the traditional filing system with the slightly advanced ones adopting to excel.
Such types of sorting are becoming problematic in these modern days especially when companies have more than one branch and need to share information, manage data or do inventories on a day to day basis.
Databases are the way to go. Databases allow sharing of information by many users from different locations using any device at anytime. A typical example is how you can access information about your bank account by visiting any of your bank branches.
All the data is stored on a centralised database system to serve the customers being served by different tellers from different branches either via the counter, phone or online at anytime.
The Microsoft office packages come with a database called Access as part of their standard packages of word, excel, powerpoint, outlook etc. Although Access is a database, it can only be installed on the local machine that one is working on just like installing word, excel etc. meaning damage to that machines is bye bye to your data.
To have a fully fledged centralised database system available to everyone from anywhere at anytime from any device (assuming one has the right user privileges), you will need to consider databases such as Oracle, SQL Server and MySQL just to name a few and these need to be running on a server- in other words you need to have it hosted.
Oracle is quite pricey and complicated to manage. SQL Server is a Microsoft product and as you know, all Micosoft products are commercial so there is a monthly cost to owning one though not as expensive as Oracle.
MySQL is an open source (FREE to download) database and is as good as its counterparts. By virtue of being open source, it has a lot of support online through forums, blogs and other websites hence trouble shooting is also easy
How to setup your centralised database
The good news is you don’t have to trouble yourself downloading the MySQL database, setting up a server, installing the database, configuring it, creating and assigning user roles for access and worrying about your internet and ZESA to keep 247 online access, ZIMHOST can have all that setup for you.
Our basic $6/month hosting will offer you a MySQL database running on a centralised server available 247 for you and your users to access from anywhere at anytime using any device.
For an additional $4 you can have UNLIMITED MySQL databases installed and configured on your account meaning you can even lease out access to third parties.
For an additional cost, we can even setup an inventory for your business, a client/ customer/ member database, stock/ products databases etc. We can even convert any paper based filing systems or excel data into an online database inventory. The list is endless. Just give us your requirements and you will be up and running.
ZIMHOST Webdesigners, 1st flr, Angwa Hse, Cnr ANgwa/ G. Silundika, 0771 111 222, 04 796528, [email protected], www.zimhost.com
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