SugarCRM is credited for starting the trend of open source CRM systems. Over time, the CRM has moved over to a paid model. However, a number of users use the free versions. In fact, there is a healthy community around SugarCRM CE Edition.
Recently, we at Techpikk, got a request from one of our clients. They wanted to migrate from their desktop based CRM to the SugarCRM CE edition. Since they were running the desktop CRM for some time, they lacked both an in-house technical team and the necessary technical management skills and expertise.
So, here is the problem definition we received:
- The CRM must be open source to keep the expenses at the minimal.
- The team managing and maintaining the code should be as small as possible.
Now anyone who has ever used open source software knows that the software is not free after all. There are infrastructure costs, hosting requirements and software maintenance issues that could run up quite a large bill.
Cloudways to the Rescue
We started looking into managed hosting solutions since they eliminate the need for an in-house server management team. In the context of SugarCRM, we wanted to set it up quickly through our implementations team.
However, some level of server handling (for instance, setting up cron jobs for SugarCRM and other plugins which the company might install was still required. Any custom development (if required) would need to be deployed professionally.
After the research, our team opted to try Cloudways for the project. Although the team members had tried Cloudways earlier, we had never run a production deployment on the platform.
Finally, We decided to start setting up Cloudways for the test deployment. We created an account and got it activated through the customer support.
SugarCRM Installation
We were very pleasantly surprised by the great console that asked the following questions about server setup.
- CPU size
- RAM for the server (we recommend a minimum of 1GB for SugarCRM)
- Cloud provider (DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, GCE and Kyup)
- Location of the server( as close to the users as possible
- Select SugarCRM as the application.
Once done, it took just minutes for the actual server launch.
As soon as the server shows up in the dashboard, click on it and get the publicly accessible URL of the server. We discovered many server optimization tools and options that could further fine-tune the user experience.
How did This Help our Client?
After our trials, we found out that choosing Cloudways for hosting SugarCRM offered the following benefits to our client:
Pricing
Cloudways offers the best cost-benefit ratio for hosting SugarCRM hosting. The managed hosting solution was flexible and very economical in the longer run.We hope to save quite a few bucks for our client who was originally using a traditional managed hosting provider.
When it comes to finding the best PHP hosting for hosting applications like SugarCRM, it’s important to consider both the cost and the benefits of different hosting solutions.
Initial Setup
Getting up and running on Cloudways is so much easier and ideal for our client who did not had the right technical skills for setting up and managing servers and applications.
Routine Maintenance and Development
Cloudways dashboard is modeled on 1-click idea where most of the maintenance tasks are just click(s) away. This includes many technical tasks such as setting up a cron job, domain management, SSL certificate management and deployment via Git. In case you need to login to the server, you can always enable SSH access.
Backups
Backups are the most important requirement for enterprise apps. Cloudways mitigates all backup related pains through automatic backups and 1-click restore options.
In the end, the server was up, the client was happy and testing the shiny new SugarCRM CE instance within minutes. We hope that Cloudways keeps on adding popular open source apps for SME and enterprise level users.
Feel free to comment if you have any queries or inputs  🙂
About the Author:
Ishwinder is a tech blogger at techpikk.com. He is a technology consultant and works with organizations to enhance business processes such as task and process automation, setting up apps for workflow and improve technology architecture.
Arsalan Shabbir
Arsalan works as Digital Marketing Executive for Cloudways - A Managed Cloud Hosting Platform. He looks after Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for Cloudways. (Cool, right?) In his spare time, he loves playing cricket.
