Trapp Technology Saves Tulfra Realty From Holiday Server Crash with CRE Cloud
The value of what Trapp Technology has done for our business is priceless. We were completely dead. But, Trapp Technology worked into the night and had our Sage 300 CRE (Timberline) software and files transferred to the CRE Cloud and operational the next day.
— Sonny Jumani, Principal, Tulfra Realty
Customer: Tulfra Realty
Customer Type: Real Estate Developer and Property Manager
Country or Region: U.S. New Jersey
Industry: Real Estate Development
Website: tulfra.com
Tulfra Realty owns, develops and manages commercial and industrial real estate in suburban Northern New Jersey. They buy, renovate, sell and manage surplus or distressed commercial and industrial properties. Four million square feet in 50 buildings, with 200 private and public companies as tenants, are managed with Sage Timberline Office hosted on Trapp Online.
Tulfra Realty recovered immediately from a catastrophic system crash with the implementation of customized Timberline Hosting from Trapp Technology. Improved system performance on Trapp Technology’s CRE Cloud servers increased employee productivity at least five hours per week. With increased security and fewer IT headaches, key employees have more time to focus on growing the business.
Business Needs
Hardware and Software Upgrades
In late 2011, Tulfra Realty was outgrowing its server and IT infrastructure. “Our IT was a mess,” said Jumani. “Sage kept telling us we needed more hardware and more software.” To keep their maintenance current, Tulfra had to upgrade their Timberline application.
Poor System Performance
Down time and poor system performance demoralized Tulfra’s employees. “Our staff was hesitant to use many of Timberline’s features,” said Jumani. “Reports took a long time to run and adding users would slow things down too much.”
Accountant Access
Tulfra’s accountants often sent files back and forth. Errors occurred when updating files and accounts wouldn’t balance. The CFO used a login system to work remotely. The response time was too slow for her to do anything from home.
Security Risks
Although Tulfra’s files had never been hacked, data security was a concern. An open office, viruses and other potential threats from inside or outside the company put Tulfra’s sensitive financial and operational data at risk.
Server Crash
Tulfra scheduled their Timberline upgrade for the end of the year. A local consultant started the upgrade December 28th, 2011. Unfortunately, the server crashed during the upgrade process. Tulfra lost the hard drive and, due to an incorrect setup, their backup files were overwritten with an old version. “We lost 60 GB of business information and were completely dead,” said Jumani. “I sent everyone home because there was nothing we could do.”
New Servers vs. Hosting
Tulfra looked at getting a new server at a cost of $10,000 or more and at least one week of down time to get it going. Fortunately, they had a Mozy Backup copy somewhere that was two days old. Jumani thought about his options. “I was thinking about hosting before the crash but wasn’t there yet,” said Jumani. “Unfortunately, it took an emergency to convince me hosting was the way to go.”
Solution
On the day of the crash Jumani performed a Google search for “Timberline Hosting”. He called Trapp Technology and three other hosting providers. Trapp Technology responded quickly.
“Josh Weidman at Trapp Technology was the fastest to respond,” said Jumani. “In less than five minutes he explained to me what they could do and how it would work. There was no marketing BS, just specific information. I decided in that five minutes of talking to Josh to go with Trapp Technology.”
Customized Timberline CRE Cloud Hosting
Josh arranged a call between Tulfra and Trapp Technology’s Timberline Consultant. Less than three hours later she started the migration. “She knew exactly what to do and worked into the night moving all of the data and installing all of the modules,” said Jumani.
The next morning Tulfra’s Timberline system was up on the Cloud. Jumani accessed the data from his desktop and printed on one printer. “Mars and Venus have never lined up like this,” said Jumani. “We were back up and running in less than 24 hours! And, we never looked back.”
Tulfra accesses their hosted Timberline and QuickBooks files and data from anywhere they have an Internet connection. Response times are much better and reports run very fast. Custom reports, setups and third party applications are all on the Cloud. Daily backups are automatically performed at Trapp Technology’s secure Phoenix data center.
Tulfra’s remarkable experience with Trapp Technology’s Timberline Hosting caused them to consider outsourcing other business activities. They now look at their business differently and outsource 25% of their operations.
Benefits
Down Time Averted
Tulfra avoided at least one week of down time to install new servers thanks to Trapp Technology’s expertise and responsiveness. “We were completely dead,” said Jumani. “But, Trapp Technology worked into the night and had us transferred to the CRE Cloud and operational the next day.”
Time Saved per Week—$7,500
The improved performance of Trapp Technology hosting frees up five to ten hours per week for each employee, saving about $7,500, Tulfra estimates. But, the increased productivity means more to Tulfra than the dollar value of the time saved. “Now people are able to get information to me in a timely manner. That makes a huge difference in our business,” said Jumani.
Time to Focus on the Business—Priceless
“The value of what Trapp Technology has done for our business is priceless,” said Jumani. “Spending less time on IT gives me more time to focus on the business. I like outsourcing to Trapp Technology because we’re not dealing with the IT madness anymore.”
Easily Scalable
Tulfra adapts quickly to changing requirements due to the flexibility of Trapp Technology’s solution and the responsive telephone, email and live chat support. “I call to add more resources—boom, it’s done—add more storage—boom, it’s done—add more users—boom, it’s done,” said Jumani.
Expanded Access
Tulfra’s employees accomplish more with anytime, anywhere access to their Timberline applications and files. If people are sick or stuck for two days in the snow, everything works just as well at home. Accountants can access files directly, reducing errors.
Increased Security
Dedicated servers make it impossible for other hosting clients to gain access to Tulfra’s files. Trapp Technology’s investment in technology makes Tulfra’s critical business data highly secure. “There’s no way we could duplicate that level of security here in our office,” said Jumani. “Trapp Technology is more secure than what we ever had.”
A Must Have Solution
“Trapp Technology has made our business better, more productive and more profitable,” said Jumani. “That makes my life easier. I tell any competent business considering hosting that they have to use Trapp Technology. That is the way to go. Trapp Technology is truly providing a remarkable service.”
If your company could benefit from cloud hosting in a similar way to Tulfra Real Estate, feel free to contact us and a Trapp Technology employee will get in touch with you immediately.