FAQ
What is included with my purchase?
- All of the modules and excellent support
- Unlimited support for installation
- Annual Updates and 3-5 hours of support based on which support package you purchase
Can I only buy some of the modules?
No. The Lean Machine is designed as an integrated system. Although you can easily use some modules without using others. Most customers seem to implement a few modules at first and then expand into others as their quality system matures.
Are the licensing cost one-time or annual?
The licensing is a one time cost. The support and update fee is annual.
What happens after I make my purchase?
You will receive a welcome e-mail with links to download your installation files. You will actually get two e-mails, one for the runtime files and The Lean Machine software, and another with your company’s database.
What if I start using the Demo and want to save the work I’ve done?
Not a problem. Just make sure you let us know and transfer that database to us and we will convert it into your company’s database.
Some people have told me that MS Access isn’t so great for multiple users. Is that true?
The Lean Machine is not effected by this limitation as each user is connected to their own database that then synchronizes with the hub. This has several advantages, including faster processing, minimal network traffic, built in backups, and the ability to work when disconnected from the network.
How many users can The Lean Machine support?
As many as you have. The Lean Machine can be deployed as either a Standard or Enterprise system.
Standard: 1-100 Employees Enterprise: 100+ employees
In it’s original configuration The Lean Machine is probably good for companies up to 100 employees. The only noticeable effect when the number of users increases is that the number of times the hub database might be busy synchronizing with another user will start to increase. The Lean Machine will simply synchronize at the next opportunity, but depending on the module, the increase of this delay might be an issue. You can start with the Standard version and them migrate to the Enterpise version when the time comes.
How much data can The Lean Machine hold?
We have only had one company get close to the data storage limit of The Lean Machine (2GB), and it took them about 5 years to do so. Migrating to the Enterprise version will expand that to 8 Terabytes.
Is The Lean Machine Easy to maintain?
Absolutely. It doesn’t get much easier than clicking one button, and that’s about all that needs to be done to compact the database once in a while depending on usage. Of course if you don’t maintain it and the database gets corrupted, you can just replace it with a copy from any other user’s computer. There is also a utility you can set up to perform maintenance and backups automatically. The Enterprise version is also easy to maintain as it is based on a MySQL backend database.
Does Employee Turnover effect my purchasing decision in any way?
Not at all. The licenses you purchase can be removed from employees that leave and assigned to new ones.
