Cloud Storage Vs. On-Premises Storage:
In today’s IT world, there are many factors that a company must deliberate over in order to decide whether a cloud infrastructure is the right fit. As a matter of fact, there are many companies that are not equipped to make the leap into the cloud platform. On the contrary, they tend to bank on the tried-and-true legacy and on-premise applications and software for their business proceedings.
On-Premise vs. Cloud:
Cloud Computing has garnered popularity owing to the promising offer of newfound flexibility for enterprises. On the other hand, on-premise software – installed on a company’s own servers and behind its firewall – was the only bounty for organizations. This was the scenario for a long time and it may continue to sufficiently serve your business needs. Furthermore, on-premise applications are highly reliable and secure. In addition, they allow enterprises to maintain a level of control that the cloud platform cannot do.
On-Premise Software
In the meantime, whether a company lands its applications in cloud integration or whether it places them on premises, data security will always remain paramount. For instance, for those businesses in regulated industries, the decision might already be done as to whether to house their applications on-premise or in cloud storage.
On-premise software postulates that an enterprise purchases a license or a copy of the software to focus on its usage. The Software itself is licensed and the whole instance of the software resides within an organization’s premises. Hence, there is utmost protection in comparison to the cloud computing infrastructure.
There are many benefits of cloud over on-premise. The pitfall of on-premise environments is the related costs of managing and maintaining all the solutions. They are deemed to be exponentially higher than a cloud computing environment. An on-premise setup predominantly requires in-house server hardware, software licenses, and also integration capabilities. Apart from the mentioned, they should also have IT, employees, on hand to support and manage the potential issues that may arise.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing varies from on-premises software in one critical way. A company subsequently hosts everything in-house in an on-premise environment. In the case of the cloud environment, a third-party provider hosts all that for you. This paves companies to pay on an as-needed basis and effectively scale up or down depending on the overall usability.
Usually, a cloud-based server lays hands on the virtual technology to host a company’s applications offsite. No capital expenses are involved and data can be backed up regularly. Moreover, companies only have to pay for the resources they make use of.
Additionally, cloud computing features nearly instant provisioning because the configuration is already intact. With the help of instant provisioning, the time spent on installation and configuration is eliminated. Further, users will be able to access the application right away.
Key Differences of On-Premise vs. Cloud:
As highlighted above, there are myriad fundamental differences between an on-premises and a cloud environment. The right and apt path for your enterprise depend purely on your needs and what it is you’re seeking for a solution.
1 . Deployment
On-Premises: In terms of an on-premises environment, resources are completely deployed in-house and within an enterprise’s IT infrastructure. Ultimately, an enterprise is solely responsible for maintaining the solution and all its related processes.
Cloud: There are different forms of cloud computing such as a public cloud, private cloud, and a hybrid cloud. In a public cloud computing environment, most of the resources are hosted on the premises of the service provider.
2 . Control
On-Premises: In an on-premises environment, most enterprises retain all their data and they are fully in control of the happenings. Companies in some of the sophisticated industries with extra privacy concerns are more likely to have second thoughts because of this reason.
Cloud: In a cloud computing environment, the question of data ownership is one that many companies have struggled with. Data and the encryption keys reside within your third-party provider. Hence, if any untoward incident happens and there is downtime, you may not be able to access the data.
3. Security
On-Premises: Companies that possess sensitive information, such as the government and banking industries should have a certain level of security and it is mandatory. Such kind of a safe and secure environment can be found only on-premises. Despite the Cloud’s promise, security is regarded as the primary concern for many industries. So an on-premises environment, in spite of its drawbacks and price tag, makes much more sense.
Cloud: Security concerns remain the Numero Uno barrier to cloud computing deployment. There have been multifarious publicized cloud breaches, and IT departments around the world are very much concerned. From the personal information of employees – be it their login credentials to the loss of intellectual property, the security threats are absolutely real.
4. Compliance
On-Premises: Many companies these days function under some form of regulatory control, irrespective of the industry. The most common one is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for private health information. There is also Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). It comprises of detailed student records, along with other government and industry regulations. For companies that are prone to such regulations, it is vital that they remain compliant and know their data presence.
Cloud: Enterprises that opt for a cloud computing model must do their due diligence. They should always ensure that their third-party provider is up to code and also compliant with the different regulatory mandates within their industry.
A Quick Wrap:
Hybrid Solutions are considered the need of the hour owing to their fringe benefits in the concerned industries.