ACT for Web from your SOHO

You might know that Sage ACT! has a version that makes your ACT! database available via the web.  People often associate this feature with either big offices with their own servers, or a costly hosting solution.  Do you know that with just a few configuration changes to your router, you can have worldwide access (secure, of course) to your database that might be hosted in your home, or small office?

Now, there are a few components involved here, and I won't go into detail for them all, as there are excellent help articles that explain them.  Of course, I'd love to help you get this setup - and could do so very economically, and quickly - contact me for more info.

First, the requirements:
1. ACT! Premium (vs. ACT! Pro, which does *not* have the web capability included).  This is important, as you're not going to get this advanced functionality with the $89 version of ACT! off a discount web store.
2. Windows version with IIS - Internet Information Server.  This is the web server portion of the setup, and what "hosts" your ACT! database.  IIS can be loaded on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 - which probably covers 99% of the operating systems people reading this article have.
3. A router (wired or wifi - does not matter) that allows both a web browser admin login, and when in the login, Port Range Forwarding.

#1 and #2 I won't cover here - I want to focus on the configuration of #3, which is the key step in making it available - and is very simple.

OK, so once ACT! Premium is installed, and IIS is installed/configured, here are the steps:
1. Find the IP address of your ACT! machine.  The easiest way I do this is to go to Start, and in the Run/Search box, type cmd, which opens a command prompt window.  Now just type ipconfig, and in the result look for the line that contains IP Address (it may say more, but that's the jist) - something like:
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.105

2. Login to your router and find the Port Forwarding menu, which if often under the Applications/Services, and/or Gaming section.

3. There may already be a service called WWW or web with Start Port and End Port of 80 with a Protocol of TCP.  If not, add this service (call it web, does not matter much), both Start and End Port are 80, and check/choose TCP as the protocol.  Now, this may seem Greek to some of you, but in any router I've ever seen, there's only so many places to put values, and once you see your router screen, it'll make sense, just remember this:
Service: web
Start Port: 80
End Port: 80
Protocol: TCP

4. OK, one more very, very important value on this screen, and that's the "to" or "destination" IP address, which is the IP address you retrieved earlier, e.g. 192.168.1.105.  Put that value in this field, and then click Save.

Now, technically, your database is available via the web, but you need to tell people (or yourself) how to access it.  From a browser on any computer in your network, go to http://www.whatismyip.com  The top of this page will have a large title that says something like:
Your IP Address Is: 70.143.5.52

That is the number (address) you'll use from the "outside" to access your database on the "inside". e.g. from outside your SOHO, open a browser and go to http://70.143.5.52, which will bring up the ACT! Premium for Web logon screen.  Choose your database and logon, and voila - your data from wherever you might be.

Again, please contact me with any questions or assistance.