IT hardware advice for non-profit

August 3, 2010 3:24 PM

Medium sized non-profit looking to purchase new Hardware to run Sage MIP accounting software for 5 users. Any recommendations on type of hardware to buy for value: does one need a "server" these days for this type of situation or will a desktop work? How about reliable easy back-up options?
posted by dougiedd to Technology (4 answers total)

This was eons ago, but I had a few nonprofit clients that ran SAGE. They all ran it on a dedicated desktop-class machine.

According to their site, you only need Windows Server if you want to use the Employee Web Services stuff.

I think for 5 users, you'd be fine with good desktop class hardware (a decent core 2 due or i3 class processor) with beefed up RAM running a desktop OS.

That said, if they're sensitive to outages, go for one of the low end Dell servers with dual power supplies and RAID 1. Their low end servers are surprisingly inexpensive.
posted by wierdo at 3:31 PM on August 3, 2010

Response by poster:
Downtime or power outages?
posted by dougiedd at 3:39 PM on August 3, 2010

Not sure if this is useful re your question but Techsoup (www.techsoup.org) sells deeply discounted software and hardware only to non profits.
posted by MsKim at 3:55 PM on August 3, 2010

I meant downtime. Some people don't really care as long as it can be fixed the same day. Other people freak out at the ten minute mark or before.

No matter what you get you definitely want to put it on a UPS and set it up using the bundled software to shut itself down automatically in the event of a power outage. SQL Server does not like abruptly stopping. (Sage uses SQL Server to store the data these days)
posted by wierdo at 5:01 PM on August 3, 2010