Moving from AWBS but Aprehensive

[epode]

We've been in the hosting business for 9 years and we've tried all the usual suspects ...

 

- ModernBill

- ClientExec

- AgileBill

- AWBS

 

We're currently with AWBS running the latest 2.8.5 version and after 4 years with them we still don't have a satisfactory working copy.

 

We're interested in WHMCS but we naturally have reservations about moving again.

 

Can anyone offer any words of encouragement?

 

Any PROs and CONs that we should be aware of?

 

I guesstimate a very long weekend to implement the change and transfer all clients and modify the site ... would this be sufficient?

[WHMCS John]

Hi,

I'd say a weekend would be a reasonable time to get everything imported from AWBS with the aid of our importer script. But obviously that depends on the size of your customer base and how much template customisation you want to do.

 

The main thing to be aware of is if you're using PayPal subscriptions is that these will not work after the migration. The subscriptions will still be trying to call back to the AWBS callback file and there's no way to tell them to callback to WHMCS instead.

[epode]

Thanks John.

[mylove4life]

I came from AWBS to WHMCS 2 years ago. I'd do it again anytime to have a solid system like WHMCS is. I would let WHMCS move the data tho for me if I was doing it again as they know the system alot better than I did when first strating out.

[epode]

That's good to know. Thank you.

[Troy]

In addition to paypal subscriptions, I don't think credit card data is migrated, or at least it wasn't when we converted in 2007.

 

WHMCS is a far better system, but the domain transfer and renewal processes could use some work.

[epode]

Lack of user tools for UK domains was the reason we didn't move across in 2008 ...

 

http://forum.whmcs.com/showthread.php?t=8266

 

But I see that clients can now at least change nameservers and modify contact details

 

We are currently spending a lot of time fussing around with AWBS for various reasons. I just don't want to end up spending the same amount of time fussing with a new backend but for different reasons.

 

The initial setup and move issues are not the problem. I appreciate we will need to throw some manpower at it.

 

What I don't want for us to be doing is having ongoing issues such as having to manually edit domain registrations and renewals.

 

For example, with AWBS, we can't get it to correct the domain expiry date when someone renews.

 

This means that for every domain we need to manually update the database before the domain can be used.

 

After 9 years - we no longer have a tolerance for nuances like this.

[mylove4life]

You can get a trial license and play with that a while. That's the way most of us did it when we where comming from a different one.

[epode]

I think that's a good call. Thanks.

[WHMCS John]

In addition to paypal subscriptions, I don't think credit card data is migrated, or at least it wasn't when we converted in 2007.

No they aren't unfortunately because AWBS doesn't provide any info or methods on how to decrypt the CC details it stores.