ConnieStorer Posted March 27, 2020 Posted March 27, 2020 This is somewhat of a comment and question. Like most of you out there in the pension community our firm has had to change our way of operating due to CO-VID 19. We are a TPA Firm of 7 individuals. Currently 5 individuals are trying to work remotely. Our IT person set us up so that we can log in at home and access our work computer and our network. We use the in house FIS/Relius system for our pension and document software. Trying to get run Relius remotely was not working and we reached out to Relius about the issue. They indicated that we would need to purchase a 12 month WAN license in order to run the pension system remotely. I explained that working remotely was a temporary situation and that we only needed access for one or two months. The Relius salesman reached back out to me and said that they could offer a 10% discount on their full 12 month license. This would drop the annual fee from $3,000 to $2,700. He also added that they could apply the $2,700 fee to the cost of the ASP service if we signed a new contract by May 31st. Maybe other individuals out there feel that this is reasonable but to me this is a horrible response on the part of FIS/Relius. We have been a client of theirs from the point that they bought our FDP. I am seriously considering looking into other software systems once life returns to normal. Does anyone have suggestions for a work around for the WAN license. We cannot justify spending $2,700 for a one to two month fix. Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
ConnieStorer Posted March 27, 2020 Author Posted March 27, 2020 Please excuse the typos.... should have proofed prior to posting
ratherbereading Posted March 27, 2020 Posted March 27, 2020 Not sure this will help, but if you spent the money, could you let some employees work from home permanently? Maybe that would make it worth the cost? 4 out of 3 people struggle with math
RatherBeGolfing Posted March 27, 2020 Posted March 27, 2020 Agree with ratherbereading, but I would also add that if $2,700 is this big of a concern you should be looking for a different vendor. Relius has a great product, but there are other great products out there for a lower fee. I would consider paying the $2,700 to do what you need to do now, then switching to a different provider at the end of your next contract cycle. The savings in the first year should cover the $2,700 extra you pay to Relius now.
shERPA Posted March 27, 2020 Posted March 27, 2020 That's an awfully poor response by a vendor in a time like this. Many companies are bending over backwards to help their clients navigate this crazy time. I carry stuff uphill for others who get all the glory.
Gadgetfreak Posted March 27, 2020 Posted March 27, 2020 Why not just use remote-control software so each person can connect to their office computer from their house as if they are sitting in the office. There are tons out there. Look for Remote Desktop Protocol built into Windows. I believe Google Chrome has a free one too. There are also paid options that may not make you commit to a year. But it is good software to have anyway. ERPA, QPA, QKA
ConnieStorer Posted March 27, 2020 Author Posted March 27, 2020 Thanks for all the responses. We did set up the remote desktop suggested by Gadgetfreak but ran into issues with Relius not working properly.
Larry Starr Posted March 27, 2020 Posted March 27, 2020 10 minutes ago, ConnieStorer said: Thanks for all the responses. We did set up the remote desktop suggested by Gadgetfreak but ran into issues with Relius not working properly. We use Logmein https://www.logmein.com/ and it works fine with our Relius. However, we switched a number of years ago to ASP and it just makes much more sense than maintaining our own server and having to update. You should assume that they are going to eventually eliminate the in-house version. I give it no more than 2 more years. But I agree their response is abysmal. Lawrence C. Starr, FLMI, CLU, CEBS, CPC, ChFC, EA, ATA, QPFC President Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc. 46 Daggett Drive West Springfield, MA 01089 413-736-2066 larrystarr@qpc-inc.com
austin3515 Posted March 28, 2020 Posted March 28, 2020 On 3/27/2020 at 10:02 AM, ratherbereading said: Not sure this will help, but if you spent the money, could you let some employees work from home permanently? Maybe that would make it worth the cost? I have thought about how commercial real estate might be in trouble as people realize the technology is almost all the way there for an efficient home office. Luke Bailey 1 Austin Powers, CPA, QPA, ERPA
RatherBeGolfing Posted March 28, 2020 Posted March 28, 2020 21 hours ago, Larry Starr said: We use Logmein https://www.logmein.com/ and it works fine with our Relius. However, we switched a number of years ago to ASP and it just makes much more sense than maintaining our own server and having to update. You should assume that they are going to eventually eliminate the in-house version. I give it no more than 2 more years. But I agree their response is abysmal. We used to use Relius and Logmein as well. The problem we had with that was, that an issue with the Relius server or the computer you are logged into would need to be addressed on site. This sometimes caused issues on evenings, weekends, or extended periods of remote work when we didnt have staff in the office. We left over 10 years ago, and I didnt think the on site Relius software would last this long...
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