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Cloud, on-prem, or box packs: how to choose

22 Jun 2022

The business size doesn’t matter: everyone needs software. When it comes to software selection, the company management faces the question: how to choose between Box, Cloud, and On-prem. And what’s the difference? 

Cloud

No panic! Choosing the software format is just another business task. And this article aims to help you resolve it fast and easily. 

Box Pack

The box is a traditional software format. The software is provided on a physical media — disc or flash drive and requires to be installed on your PCs by yourself. This software doesn’t require an Internet connection and sometimes offers an “eternal” license. 

This software delivery format seems to be outdated, though some businesses still use it. 

Pros:

  • Fully autonomous software: the software developer will never reach your data 
  • “Eternal” license and a fixed price 

Cons:

  • Any updates need to be done manually, and would probably require an additional physical purchase 
  • You are going to need a powerful infrastructure and skilled technicians to support an autonomous system 
  • No access to the data from the devices out of the inner network with no needed software. 

Cloud Software

Cloud Software is an Internet-based software, a game-changer in IT. A third-party cloud-based server hosts all company’s data that can be accessed from any owner’s device anytime, anywhere. You don’t have to host, maintain, upgrade, or ensure data security — your provider will do it for you. 

Pros:

  • No big expense: data is backed up regularly, and all you need to do is to pay for resources. 
  • Real-time access to data: anytime, anywhere. 
  • Fast software deployment and business expansion 
  • No need to purchase expensive servers for data storage 

Cons:

  • Depending on the Internet connection 
  • Data breach risks, as data are stored at the software provider servers.  

Cloud computing keeps growing and developing, and more and more companies prefer to use third-party services instead of managing data storage in-house. According to McKinsey, Cloud software potential makes up to $1 trillion, and this number grows continuously as new technologies evolve. 

Cloud software supposes some data security risks and the risk of no data access if you have a poor Internet connection. Nevertheless, these challenges will be resolved soon, as data protection constantly enhances, and the Internet becomes accessible all over the globe. 

On-premises Software

On-premises (on-prem) software is deployed on the servers of your company like a Box Pack, though it requires a license, just like the cloud software. The software provider can reach your servers upon a request to help you with implementation and any issues, though they do not have constant access to your data. To use this hybrid format, you have to build a strong in-house infrastructure of servers and PCs — purchase the hardware or rent it from a reliable provider. 

Pros:

  • Higher security level, compared to Cloud solutions 
  • The software can be deployed with a help of a provider, or autonomously 
  • Flexible deployment of additional modules 
  • Independence from Internet connection 
  • Easy access from any in-house device 

Cons:

  • Need for the expensive hardware to host all the data 
  • You are responsible for servers maintenance costs and other related expenses 

Choosing my option

Now you know the difference, and all that is left is to understand which option fits your business best. Answer the questions below to find out, what you need. 

General questions: 

  • Is our budget enough for purchasing the hardware and further maintenance? 
  • How long will we use this solution? 
  • What functionality do we need? 
  • Is getting updates important to us? 
  • How important is data security? 

If these questions helped you to understand what you don’t need, go next and check out the questions for each particular software type. 

On-prem:

  • Can the business afford to make a capital investment in the on-prem solution? 
  • Do we have a hardware maintenance team, or are we ready to build it?  
  • How challenging the software deployment and upgrade would be? 

Cloud:

  • Do we need any additional features? Can the provider offer them? 
  • Do we understand how the business growth would affect the price of the solution? 
  • Does the cloud solution comply with GDPR or other data protection regulations? 
  • Does the company have successful use cases? 
  • Does the provider have an SLA that we can approve? 
  • Does the price include total cost ownership? 
  • Is the integration of other software possible? 

Ask your team these questions, and the choice will be done. If you are still unsure what to choose, and what would be the best for your business, reach out, and MD Cloud experts will help you choose the perfect software solution. 

About

If you are still unsure what to choose, and need a professional to help you out, reach MD Cloud team. Our experts are ready to provide full consultation or even the live Demo to check out the potential of every option on your real routine tasks. Order the consultation now here. 
 

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