Cloud based options for a small business currently using Lotus Approach?

October 16, 2014 5:22 AM

How can I help a small academy get its Lotus Approach database into the cloud along with all of their other data?

I am working with a small academy, and they would like to move their business data off of their local NAS and into the cloud. We have decided on using Google, as they want email and calendaring, and I have a passing familiarity with it.

One issue though is that they are using an old Lotus Approach database to manage student enrollment and other business data. I don't want to move everything else to the cloud and have them still rely on a local machine for this database.

Note that simply moving the database file to the cloud is problematic as the db sharing breaks on concurrent edits in that scenario.

Any suggestions would be great!

posted by jpziller to Technology (1 answer total)

Best answer: What you're asking for isn't really possible. I mean, you can't just throw the database online and expect to be able to interface with it (like looking up students or adding them etc.)

The standard approach would be to build a web app to do this, that syncs with the local Lotus Approach database every 60 seconds or whatever.

Your organisation should actually take advantage of this opportunity to move records out of Lotus Approach and into a better system, one with a web interface if that's a priority.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:22 AM on October 16, 2014