What Do IT Leaders Need to Consider When Evaluating On-premise and cloud Data Security?
Alan Hayward, Sales and Marketing Manager at SEH Technology
When an IT leader is asked to assess which technology infrastructure is the best fit for their company, there are a growing number of factors that they need to consider. It’s no secret that cloud computing has significantly grown in popularity, offering organisations newfound flexibility and scalability. On the other hand, on-premise software has been tried and tested by businesses and may continue to adequately meet their technical needs. In today’s fast-paced market, many organisations are now contemplating the move to cloud applications to better achieve their business goals in the longer term.
As businesses continue to collect, analyse and store a staggering amount of data, one of the biggest elements that they will need to evaluate is on-premise versus cloud security. Data security is becoming even more critical for enterprises in line with the rise in cyberattacks. With on-premise, the business’ servers and data are physically located in the office, and IT leaders can use backup and disaster recovery software to extract data during a cybersecurity threat. Alternatively, with cloud-based security, a third party company hosts the organisation’s servers and data in a data centre, providing additional support to manage the network.
On-premise brings peace of mind
When using on-premise solutions, businesses will benefit from end-to-end customisation across the entire network, including servers and data in the organisation. This ensures that the solution fits their specific needs, as well as gives IT leaders complete peace of mind that the security measures are fit to purpose. On-premise is also the ideal solution for companies in the legal, healthcare or financial industries, that are required to follow stricter cybersecurity policies. What’s more, these businesses may feel more comfortable hosting their data onsite, rather than across the country in a data centre.
On-premise solutions also benefit companies that already have an internal IT team. While initial investments for software and hardware are higher, having a dedicated team of staff who can manage the infrastructure will ensure the business sees a rapid return on investment. This team will be responsible for keeping the on-premise security operating smoothly which means the data is both secure and close by, as well as reducing the need to outsource support for a costly fee.
Bolstering flexibility and scalability in the cloud
While on-premise solutions may be adequate for some businesses, others are considering making the move to the cloud for improved security quality. When working in the cloud, a company’s data is not secured physically at their office, reducing the risk of security breaches or threats onsite. Additionally, with cloud-based security, data centres have improved security features and a dedicated team of employees who can protect companies’ data. Cloud systems will also learn about an organisation’s network over time, ensuring that the solution can scale with the company and become more secure than on-premise.
Furthermore, with cloud storage, an organisation’s data can be housed in a data centre for an unlimited amount of time. This is especially important in today’s fast-paced environment as more and more jobs move to digital, so having the enterprises’ data online already can streamline business processes. Scalability is also one of the biggest advantages of cloud computing, as data centres can quickly and easily evolve their resources to meet business needs or demands. This may include company growth or expansion across the globe, as well as the move to remote or hybrid working in the post-Covid-19 environment.
To further bolster security, cloud solutions will back up a business’ data in multiple places on a regular basis. Downtime can have a staggering impact on an organisation, and cloud applications can keep this to a minimum as data will be restored from a backup faster than an on-premise solution. Finally, large corporations must abide by a growing number of compliance regulations and cloud-based security can help these types of businesses to maintain the required infrastructures, as well as ensure current and future regulatory measures are met.
Establishing hybrid cloud solutions
Keeping this all in mind, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when IT leaders are considering on-premise or cloud security. Both applications can be customised to fit the needs of a business, meaning some organisations are now choosing to select hybrid options that boast the benefits of both on-premise and cloud solutions. A hybrid cloud is an environment that combines an on-premise data centre with the public cloud, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. For businesses with data that increases beyond the capabilities of their data centre, they can use the cloud to instantly scale capacity either up or down to handle the demand. It also mitigates the time and cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining servers onsite that they may not need in the future.
