Cloud VS On Premise – how do I decide?

By Nelia Roberts.

Again last week I was face to face with a client asking – are we actually ready for cloud computing?

My immediate response would have to been “of course we are”. Why would you ask such a question?
Is it safe though?, they asked
And who looks after it?
What if another cable goes missing and we don’t have internet?
What about speed issues?

Well, of course it is a battle between environmental issues and user reactions I would think.

Safety – is your server safe? Will someone be able to hack into it and steal your database?

Maintenance – surely the supplier that you are renting this from will look after it for you?

Internet – If Eskom decides on another power outage like last week you won’t have anything in any case. When a line goes down, it will be replaced within hours. These issues are unfortunately just the things we have to deal with.

Speed? As a cloud supplier – our hosted servers are of exceptional speed. If your upload speed is not fast enough, then your internet will be slow, not the hosted product you are renting.

The biggest difference between the cloud and on premise products would be costs. Are you willing to outlay huge IT costs and maintain this for the latest software? Or would you rather have a system you rent that is the latest cloud CRM technology, with very IT expenditure?

If you already have the IT environment laid out & working, then on-premise software wouldn’t be expensive at all and would probably fit your pocket. But if you do not have this, surely the convenience of having a cloud product – because of the low costs involved – would suite your pocket more.

At the end of the day it is 6 of one and a half dozen of the other. Put it all down on a comparison chart and decide from there what would be a better fit for your needs within the company.