On-Premise Storage VS Cloud Storage: Ease of Use and Security

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Company Storage – an ever-debated topic on which way a company should go and what they should do to future proof the business. We’d love to say there’s one easy answer but unfortunately, there isn’t.  

Storing company data securely is important to every business whether it is being stored digitally in the cloud or physically in an on-premise server. A physical or digital breach could to significant damage to either set-up through loss of revenue, loss of reputation and customer trust and compromised files/data. With technology ever evolving, staying up to date with malicious hackers has become increasingly difficult if you aren’t staying on the front foot with your technology.  

Security can no longer be an afterthought for any company. 

We understand that some businesses have existing applications that require their data to be stored on on-premise servers and look at the cloud as too much of a headache but in this article we aim to show that there are still options even for those businesses. 

Cloud Storage 

Security 

Cloud Services combat the main element in security breaches, human interaction. If you work with a reputable cloud storage company, they can give you access to some of the best security that money can buy to keep your data safe. This will eliminate one extra touch point to your data as their systems and AI will be ever vigilant over your data, adapting to any new threats that are created. Any updates needed to account for these threats or to prevent new ones are applied automatically as they are managed by the supplier. They remove the likelihood of a physical breach or damage as there is no on-premise hardware that can be damaged in a storm or fire or be accessed during a break-in. 

Cost 

Cloud storage is a mixed bag when it comes to costs surrounding set-up and on-going upkeep. For the most part, companies will be using Public cloud which is also what we recommend. Public cloud has no CapEx costs, only OpEx. You purchase subscriptions on an annual or monthly basis that outline the amount of space you have access to and are flexible as you only need to pay for what you need. If you need more space or more users one month and less the next, public cloud storage is elastic and scalable to match your needs. 

Accessibility 

Cloud storage opens up more options for your staff to access the company data. Accessing the cloud from outside of the office is simpler for staff working remotely or working form home as you can now access data anywhere that has an internet connection. With the provider handling the servers in datacentres with redundancy, it also means there is less down time.  

Hardware 

Well, there is almost no hardware for storing your data in the cloud. Need more space? No stress. All physical resources are managed by the provider. Should a datacentre go down or need maintenance, there will be no disruption to you as providers have the ability to move data between resources as needed with multi-tenant environments. 

On-Premise Storage 

Security 

Security of your data both physically and digital is up to the company. Managing an on-premise server often coincides with having a dedicated in house or outsourced IT Team as they will monitor it, the space used, the users accessing it, any potential breaches that may happen down the track, as well as managing updates.  Many people mistake security for control. If control is what you seek, an on-premise server might be more suitable. However, remember, the onus in on you to manage the security of the server and your data.  

Cost 

On-premise servers are high upfront or CapEx costs and on-going costs for IT to manage, maintain, and support them. If the server needs to be upgraded to have more power, user capacity or more space, these costs can be expensive, and there can be issues sourcing parts for older servers restricting scalability.  

Accessibility 

Accessing the server remotely for your team, is most commonly done via a VPN. VPN whichever is the slower internet connection, the person connecting, or the office. Many offices don’t have fast enough internet, which doesn’t help the user the experience, making the VPN connection slow and frustrating. Many offices also don’t have redundancy in place for the server or the internet.  

Hardware 

All hardware for an on-premise server is managed by the company and is commonly on-site in a dedicated server room. This makes it customisable to exactly what the company needs, and all storage resources are dedicated to them. However, having all hardware manageable by the company is also a liability. If there was to be a natural disaster like a fire or flood or if there were damages from a break in. Even with a good disaster recovery plan in place, there is often downtime, or sacrificed performance while the server is being recovered.  

Hybrid Cloud - What is it and how does it work? 

Hybrid cloud is a potential solution for those who have an on-premise server with legacy applications that must stay as they are, but the rest of the company wants to move to the cloud. A common example is existing company databases are set-up and working using legacy software on existing on-premise servers, but some areas of the business want to move to being on the cloud like mailboxes and other company data. Hybrid Cloud services allow companies to keep existing legacy servers while migrating other data to the cloud to reduce costs and allow for more flexibility and elasticity. Cloud services are able to integrate and communicate with the legacy applications to still provide a smooth and seamless system for employees.  

Private Cloud 

You may still need a server because of a core application(s) you use, but an entire server can be easily virtualised in the cloud, eliminating the need for ongoing expensive hardware costs. 

A virtual server is essentially your server but running in the cloud. Popular platforms like Microsoft Azure make it easy to move your entire server to the cloud, and you pay per second while it’s running. Costs depend on the specifications, and you can schedule it to shut down to save costs, and start up when it’s required.

Migration 

Cloud migration, once incredibly difficult, is now incredibly easy. We recently did two on-premise to cloud migrations that went rather seamlessly. Both companies were migrated to Microsoft SharePoint which has a handy migration tool that simplifies the migration process immensely. Unfortunately, it is still a time-consuming process depending on your office internet connection and how much data you are migrating, but it is slowly getting shorter and shorter. Depending on which platform you are migrating to, there are definitely tools out there that are inexpensive and available to help you. Here are some that we have seen: 

With the restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 starting to lift across Australia, is your company re-assessing how your company data is stored? Will you be thinking on completing a cloud migration in the future? Here are our finals thoughts for you to keep in mind to help with your planning.  

Do you still need an on-premise server, or you do just need it for storing and sharing files? 

If you just need file storage, have you considered migrating your data to cloud storage such as OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive etc? 

If you still require an on-premise server(s) to run a line of business (LOB) application(s), have you considered virtualising it/them in the cloud? 

What specifications do you need for your cloud server to run smoothly? 

How often does your team need to access the server and from where? 

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