On-Premise vs Cloud vs Hybrid Cloud?
There is no simple answer to this question because every organisation’s needs are unique. Ultimately, your IT infrastructure needs to be aligned with the needs of your business and what you choose depends on your own unique situation.
There are several questions that need to be answered including, the sensitivity of your data, the size of your budget and your organisation’s evolving capabilities. Service technology solutions can be deployed in several different ways and the three most common options are on-premise, cloud, and a hybrid of both. Let us explain what those terms mean…
On-premise
With an on-premise IT service, your applications and data are housed at your organisation’s physical location. There are scenarios where single or multiple physical servers may be of benefit to a business. For example, virtualisation is not desired or supported by 3rd party applications. With an on-premise IT service, it’s important to remember security and access to data is the sole responsibility of your organisation, as you are maintaining the hardware and security internally.
Cloud
Cloud solutions, on the other hand, are hosted and delivered via an off-site cloud system, typically accessed via a desktop or mobile browser. Data is held in the cloud and does not reside on site. Updates to the applications, along with security and availability, are usually the responsibility of the vendor who is delivering this service to your organisation. Cloud solutions are usually subscription-based and involve a fee for use. There are two types of cloud IT solutions, public cloud and private cloud.
Public clouds are the most common way of developing cloud computing. The cloud resources, like servers and storage, are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider. Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. Azure provides scalability, giving an organisation the ability to pay only for the resources it consumes. Find out more information on Microsoft Azure here.
Private clouds are normally hosted by a third-party provider, but can only be used and accessed by one organisation. Private clouds are often used by government agencies, financial institutions and any other mid to large sized organisation with business-critical operations, seeking enhanced security and control over data.
Hybrid Cloud
Hybrid cloud combines both on-premise and cloud infrastructure, giving organisations the advantages of both IT infrastructures. For some organisations, having an on-premise IT infrastructure is ideal if you don’t want to rely on the internet, yet still are looking for the benefits of a cloud solution to allow employees the ability to connect from anywhere.
Hybrid cloud offers flexibility and scalability, allowing your organisation to shift between the two IT infrastructures when capacity and costs change. For example, more sensitive data can be hosted in the private cloud, with less critical data hosted in the public cloud. What’s important with hybrid cloud computing is having the technology in place to allow for the two clouds to connect and interact effectively. Read about other cloud mistakes that could hurt your business here.
So what’s the best option for my organisation?
As mentioned before, what you ultimately decide on depends entirely on your organisation and its unique needs.
On-premise solutions are reliant entirely on the security of your own infrastructure and the ability of your IT team to make sure everything is up to date and secure. Maintaining the application and the operating systems it resides on becomes the sole responsibility of your organisation. With an on-premise IT solution, disaster recovery and regularly scheduled secure backup plans are a necessity. Learn more about IT backup services here.
Private or public, the cloud can be a cost-effective solution when compared to on-premise. There are no upfront costs for hardware and you pay for the computing power only when you need it. Updates to the application, along with all security and availability, are usually the responsibility of the vendor delivering the service with no upkeep of physical servers to be considered. Cloud services are on-demand and highly scalable, so as an organisation grows they can easily attain more storage. Furthermore, cloud services allow for easy access for remote workers via multiple devices.
Hybrid cloud gives your organisation more control as you can maintain a private infrastructure for sensitive data whilst still being cost-effective as you have the ability to only pay for the storage and computing power you use.
How Datek will help you…
We can work with you to help you understand what the best option is for your business. Often we will put forward several proposals showing the costs for the different type of solutions, illustrating the pros and cons of each, allowing you to choose a solution which fits your business rather than buying an “off the peg” solution.
Contact us today with any questions and to schedule an informal meeting. We are here to find the correct solution and approach to meet your business’ requirements, ensuring your IT infrastructure support is aligned with the needs of the business.
