The uncertain times that we have all been living in over the last year or so have really opened the eyes of business owners, who realized that they need new efficient ways of working that will allow them to continue business should the worst occur again.
As we explored in the previous article, the most popular method of achieving this is a conversion to Cloud computing – the Cloud gives your team the freedom to work from anywhere that has a stable internet connection – so it is clear why it is the most popular choice for most. It has allowed business owners to adopt a remote working team and been the saving grace for many throughout the pandemic. Many have already had plenty of time to realize the benefits the Cloud has to offer when it is implemented, managed, and maintained correctly by the right provider.
Again, as we mentioned in our previous article, regardless of its popularity, for some, a complete migration to the Cloud simply isn’t feasible. Some businesses have no choice but to continue using their on-premise IT in order to continue vital business functions, and others require a hybrid of the two.
We will now explore the positives and negatives of on-premise IT. By the end of the article, hopefully, we will have helped you to make an educated decision on what is right for the prolonged success of your organization.
The positives of On-Premise IT
Unfaltering access
Unlike the Cloud, regardless of internet connection, your team are still able to carry out key work functions, meaning that nothing need stop you from meeting targets and keeping promises to customers.
Self-reliance
Self-reliance can be bliss. You have no concern of what is going on elsewhere because it is simply all about you, your team, and your organization – for example, your Cloud vendor could go out of business and leave you teetering and unsure about what your next move needs to be, in turn causing expensive downtime. Self-reliance removes that concern.
The negatives of On-Premise IT
The upfront investment and continued cost
Some on-premise IT is extortionately expensive, and what adds insult to injury is that a lot of the hardware, software, and other services that you’ve spent all that money on don’t even have a long lifespan, and will need replacing before too long anyway! The typical life span of on-premise IT is around five years – this will require you to find – in some cases – a very large capital investment often. Also bear in mind that it may not even be as long as five years – your infrastructure may become dated in one or two, as there is simply no guarantee with developments in the IT industry. Paying for further improvements or upgrades within that five years will probably mean that you are not getting a good return for your investment and are, in effect, simply throwing money away.
No scaling
Simply, on-premise IT cannot scale to the needs of your organization. Should your business become an overnight success and you are forced to employ 10 new employees – or vice versa – you will need to have a complete overhaul of your IT systems to make it possible.
It is imperative that the technology you and your team are using supports your business in the best way possible so this can be a hard decision to make. Keep in mind that both on-premise IT and the Cloud come with both positive and negative traits – take your time deciding, make a decision based on what is right for you (not what everyone else is doing). This decision could be the difference between prolonged success and the ultimate downfall of your organization.
I wish I could give you an answer as to which would be best for you, but I can’t. We hope these articles have at the very least given you the information you need that will help you begin to make a revised decision that will work for you, but if you are still struggling try calling our team of experts to see how they can help you further.
IT Support the right way
By trusting us with your IT needs we can guarantee that your organization is ready to succeed in the modern digital workplace. Our experience in working with small businesses in Ontario and the Great Toronto Area allows us to ensure that you can increase revenue, secure your data, and always operate at peak performance in the most secure way possible. All these abilities can be achieved at the very highest standard. Contact us now to find out what else we can do to improve your IT landscape and bring you even more benefits from your IT going forward.
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