Three ways to run ERP
| Model | What it means | Typical pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Shared cloud (SaaS) | Many clients on one system run by the vendor | Per user or per organisation, each month |
| Dedicated cloud | Your own system on a server the vendor runs for you | Hosting plus maintenance, each month |
| Self-hosted (on-premise) | Your own system on your own server, in your office or your cloud account | A setup or licence fee, then a yearly AMC |
Side by side
| Question | Cloud (shared or dedicated) | Self-hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | Low; no server to buy | Server, UPS, network and setup |
| Running cost | Monthly fee for hosting and support | Yearly AMC, plus power, internet and IT time |
| Backups | Vendor’s job; check how often and where | Your job, including a copy away from the office |
| Updates and law changes | Vendor applies them | Vendor provides them; someone must install them |
| Access from outside | Built in | Needs secure remote access |
| Internet outage | System unreachable | Keeps working on the office network |
| Data location and control | Vendor’s data centre; ask where | Fully yours |
| Uptime | Vendor’s target, in the contract | As good as your server, power and IT person |
| IT skills needed | Very little | Someone who can run a Linux server, backups and security |
When each one is the better choice
Choose cloud if:
- You have no IT staff and do not want to hire one.
- People work from branches, homes or on the road.
- You would rather pay monthly than buy hardware.
Choose self-hosted if:
- A client, regulator or your own policy says data must stay on your premises.
- You already run servers well, with backups and security.
- Your internet is unreliable and the system must keep working without it.
Five questions to ask any vendor
- Is my system shared with other clients or dedicated to me?
- How often are backups taken, where are they kept, and how fast can you restore?
- What uptime do you commit to in writing, and what happens if you miss it?
- How do I get a full copy of my data, in what format, and how fast if I leave?
- On my own server, what exactly does the AMC cover, and what is billed by the hour?
Both options with MyRecords
MyRecords gives every client a dedicated system, on MyRecords Cloud or on your own server. Users are unlimited either way, with no per-user fees. It works in any country and is customised to your requirements, so both options are quoted for your business.
| Item | MyRecords Cloud | Your own server |
|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | Same for both, by modules and size | Same |
| Monthly or yearly | One monthly fee: hosting by size and region, plus a maintenance part set by the support tier | Yearly AMC by tier: Essential, Standard or Premium |
| Uptime target | 99.5% (99.9% for large) | Depends on your server |
| Backups | Run by us, daily, kept off the server for 90 days; on the standard tier, recovery point 24 h and recovery time 4 h | A daily backup timer is set up at install; you keep a copy off the server, or add server care from us |
| Hardware | Included | You buy it |
| Offline working | Point of sale, shop floor, attendance check-in, maintenance visits, asset physical checks and bill photos | Same, plus everything on the office network |
In a restore drill on 22 Oct 2026, a MyRecords system came back from backup files to a usable site in 79.5 seconds. A full export of your data in open formats is part of the commercial terms, within 30 days of notice.
See deployment options, backups and recovery, or get a quote for both.