As a Cloud service provider, we have spent a good chunk of the past few years providing world-class cloud solutions to our clients across Australia. While it may seem like providing cloud solutions is a fairly simple game, we have come to realise that one of the biggest decisions for any small to medium business is whether to have a cloud-based or dedicated on-premise or a hybrid server infrastructure.
The usual questions that arise are:
- Am I infrastructure ready for growth?
- Can my network handle cloud?
- What are my hosting options?
- Am I secure?
- How much will this cost me?
- What about up-time for my mission critical applications?
- What are my back-up and recovery options?
Clouds have had the power to bring some major changes in the past few years. We all know the path of its evolution from being new to personal to organisations operating entirely out of the cloud. It emerged as a leading trend in 2017 to streamline business.
If you are planning how to leverage the cloud to meet your business goals in 2018, then there may be many things to consider before your reach your decision. While cloud based solutions can be more expensive than on-premise options, the benefits of being in the cloud can far outweigh the costs for some businesses. When calculated over a longer period, the cost of operating in the cloud is often far less than the cost of an on-premise solution. With cloud based solutions, the time saved is also huge because your core team is free from infrastructure hassles and hence can focus on business issues at hand and improve organisation efficiency. And when it comes to compliance, cloud providers give their customers compliance support to standards like ISO 27001 and many more that would cost a mint, if you did it yourself.
If you’re not sure whether cloud servers or dedicated on-premise servers are the right fit, then you are in the right place. Put your doubts aside and continue reading. Listed out below are some of the pros and cons of cloud servers vs dedicated on-premise servers.
Pros and Cons of Cloud Servers
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
No onsite hardware; reduced space requirement; reduced capital expenses | Accessibility of your data by third party services |
Totally scalable; infinite flexibility; solutions are on-demand with pay-as-you-use options | Limited user experience due to internet speed |
Employees can work from anywhere –anytime with any device; implement BYOD (bring your own device) policies. | No access to any information without internet connection |
Robust data backup solution; lower risk; no data loss; minimum downtime | Costs high if uptime not a priority |
Improved security; cloud vendors adhere to strict data protection and security compliance requirements |
Pros and Cons of Dedicated On-Premise Servers
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Server under vigilance and control | Capital investment in infrastructure & space; Ongoing costs of power, cooling and requirement of IT support team |
Keeps critical data on-premise; no third party has access to your information. | Need for physical security; Risk of getting stolen from premise; Risk of data loss during natural disaster |
Cost-effective if uptime not a business need. | No uptime guarantee |
So, pros and cons can be many as you can judge for yourself. This is the reason, why we usually suggest our clients to begin their digital transformation journey with a hybrid solution.
Read more about our Hybrid Cloud Solutions here
The hybrid solution gives our clients the best of both worlds. It allows you to combine public cloud with private cloud or dedicated servers and leverage the best of what each solution has to offer to meet your overall business need. You can reap the benefits of the public cloud for non-sensitive operations, critical data can stay on-premise and you can also incorporate existing resources to accomplish a highly flexible, nimble and cost-effective solution. No hybrid solution is complete without the added advantage of data security. Not only can you back up your data on-premise, you can also back up in the cloud. You can balance the commercial and technical requirements of your organisation, re-use existing assets where applicable and utilise the cloud where you would get the most efficiencies.
Learn how Exigo Tech can help you with disaster recovery and business continuity. Give us a call today!
Selecting the right infrastructure with the right approach is a vital business decision. The decision depends on your business goals and objectives, as well as your immediate and long-term IT needs. To sum it up, cloud solutions are great, but some businesses may not want to have everything in the cloud. Some solutions will still need to be kept on-premise and critical data can be managed effectively. But don’t lag behind in leveraging optimum potential out of the cloud too. Make the right decisions for your growth with a trusted partner.
Exigo Tech is here to ensure you meet your business needs and achieve the best possible solution. Contact us to today to know how we can help you build your IT infrastructure.