As enterprises add more high-value applications to their operation, the delivery method becomes ever more important. Some companies use a mix of on-premise and cloud; others are steadfast in choosing one or the other. Which is best for you? That depends on the type of application and how it will be utilised.
To help you decide which is best for you, here are 10 questions you need to ask:
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How will the app be accessed?
Apps that are accessed by multiple users from multiple locations will benefit from the availability of a cloud-based application. Conversely, apps that are accessed on-premise will be absolutely fine served by on-premise hardware.
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How regulated is your industry?
Depending on the industry you operate in, there may be specific obligations on your organisation to ensure a high level of privacy. The GDPR is a good example. Will the cloud allow you to maintain privacy? What weaknesses could there be?
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Will you need to scale up demand?
If you need to scale up to meet app demand, a cloud-based environment will lend itself better to most applications than on-prem, unless you can meet the hardware requirements of a growing system. Hybrid infrastructure is also an option.
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What are your performance requirements?
High-performance applications will be better served by hybrid or on-prem infrastructure because resources can be allocated to higher levels. Cloud environments can work, but they are not as resilient to latency issues.
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Can you afford for your app to go down if your internet fails?
Cloud-connected applications require a stable internet connection, whereas on-prem-connected applications can work virtually without an internet connection. If you need the highest standard of protection against internet failure, on-prem is best.
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How will deployment impact your finances?
The deployment of an application incurs considerable expense. Your decision may be swayed one way or the other by the cost. Placing workloads on the cloud could shift capital expenditure to operating costs, freeing up resources.
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How will you manage the deployment?
All applications need to be monitored, whether they are on the cloud or on-prem. In either case, you need a plan to manage your IT assets, including your app. Cloud management is a more available choice, but on-prem is more advanced.
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Do you want to reduce your operational costs?
If you want to reduce your operational costs, choosing on-prem for your app will shift expenditure to the capital expenditure side. Conversely, choosing cloud will shift costs to the operational side. Which suits you?
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Should you deploy your app in both spaces?
Hybrid infrastructure has numerous benefits over cloud and on-prem, however, it isn’t always the best choice. There can be confusion about the value of hybrid and whether it’s worth it. You should explore this to see what’s what.
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What are your data dependencies?
Understanding your data dependencies is important when choosing cloud or on-prem. If data is coming in from other apps, on-prem’s reduced latency is a big plus. Cloud will be a good fit if you can guarantee reliability from data sources.
These are 10 questions you should ask before you decide between on-premise and cloud for your applications. If you need to discuss in more detail please do get in touch.
On-premise or cloud? What about hybrid IT? In a previous blog article, we took a brief look at all three options.
