Web Based Advisor Software

[ricbertsch]

Mark, are there any plans in place to have FM Advisor Edition as a Fully Functional Web Based Program allowing us to do all the same functions as we currently do on the desktop?

Thanks, Ric

[Mark]

Hi Ric,

Not in the near future...

[aviator]

Ric, have you considered running FM off the cloud? When I switched to the Advisor version I went 100 percent cloud based. Much prefer it for the following reasons:

- FM available anywhere fast internet exists.

- Is self-contained. FM runs from one folder in the cloud. Only thing local is a link to the cloud executable.

- No learning curve.

- Peace of mind. Much prefer the cloud version to local for backups and security. (Although I still backup the cloud version to another cloud account, for extra peace of mind.)

Wish I'd done this long ago...

[ricbertsch]

Yes, Which I plan to do. But it would be nice if we could do imports, post transactions, run reports etc without having to actually be either in the office at the desktop or remotely logging into the desktop.

[Djobydjoba]

I think the strength of Fund Manager is that precisely it's not a web based application...

The right choice of language / technology has been made from the start (1993!), independent from hype and fashion, that allows Fund Manager to be here in 2019, the most clever and powerful (and full of features) portfolio management program available.

A full web based Fund Manager would take years to write, and would be a totally different program. There is a lot to lose, a web based program can't be as flexible and powerful as a desktop program. I guess it wouldn't be anymore at all Fund Manager as we know and we love it.

[aviator]

...without having to actually be either in the office at the desktop or remotely logging into the desktop.

And here's where you lost me. My cloud based version is just that -- everything resides in the cloud. I don't log in remotely to a desktop... I simply launch the FM executable from a cloud drive.

I think you may be surprised at how easy and how convenient FM cloud is. I like to think of FM as residing in one place (the cloud) while I can access it from anywhere without needing a local copy of FM.

A single caveat is the need for high speed internet. I have super high speed internet and I see no discernible difference between cloud and desktop (I had a version of FM on my desktop and the cloud as I parallel tested the cloud version). Since moving solely to the cloud, the only noticeable difference is the backup process (I have auto backups turned on in the cloud, did not on the desktop) and at it's worst it adds maybe a few seconds to the shutdown process. Really nothing to complain about.

[ricbertsch]

Aviator, unless I am missing something this is view only, Actions such as posting, running reports and download and imports can not be done on the Website.

[aviator]

No. Running FM off the cloud is no different than running it off a desktop. It retains all the same functionality because it's the same application. No limits whatsoever on reading, posting, etc. unless those limits exist for some other reason.

The biggest advantages for me are simplicity and ease of access. Simplicity in that the cloud is treated like an extension of my desktop, with all the benefits of security, uptime and not having to have FM installed on each computer I use.

Ease of access probably trumps simplicity for me. I am no longer constrained to where FM is installed. For example, I'm replying to this post using a tablet. I don't have FM installed on it, but I can still run FM from my cloud service. It behaves as if it were installed on my tablet, even though it's not.

The documentation on FM cloud may be more helpful. Just know that you lose nothing (that I know of) by going cloud, but you gain alot.

[aviator]

Richard, it just occurred to me that you and I may be talking about two different things. I believe you're talking about the web service where FM is available on mobile devices? If so, we're on different pages. I have no knowledge about that part of FM (don't use it).

I'm referring to running the Advisor version of FM from the cloud instead of locally. This is very different than the mobile version you may be referring to.

[ricbertsch]

Aviator, what you referred to is exactly what we are looking to do. Running FM remotely from laptop, etc without having to login to the home office desktop and doing the same routines that we able to execute on the desktop. So if that is what you are doing we would appreciate how that is set up.

Thanks,
Ric

[Mark]

Hi Ric,

What aviator is describing is the portable/cloud mode, which is documented here:

https://www.fundmanagersoftware.com/help/portable.html

What you may have been thinking of is the mobile/web access feature where you can view your holdings.

They are separate features.

[ricbertsch]

Mark and Aviator, Thanks!! I will look into this

[aviator]

Aviator, what you referred to is exactly what we are looking to do. Running FM remotely from laptop, etc without having to login to the home office desktop and doing the same routines that we able to execute on the desktop. So if that is what you are doing we would appreciate how that is set up.

Thanks,
Ric

Ok, we're back on the same page. Yes, what you describe is exactly what I migrated to. Previously, FM was installed on my hard drive. Not sure of all the details, but pretty sure the system registry was involved and data stored locally (on the hard drive).

The cloud version, which is what I'm currently on, has all the functionality of the desktop (it's the same version), but it is not installed on my hard drive. It lives in its own folder in the cloud (many services available including Google, Microsoft, Drop Box) along with the data files. You can access all of FM's rich functionality anywhere you have a decently fast internet connection.

Read the documentation and post if you have any questions. Good luck.