The cloud is the new on-premises storage. Cloud-based storage solutions are increasingly popular because they’re scalable, cost-effective, and easier to manage than traditional on-premises offerings.
But there are still some advantages to using on-premises storage. Let’s compare cloud vs. on-premises storage so you can decide which option makes the most sense for your company.
Security
Security is a significant concern for many businesses, and you must choose a storage solution that’s reliable and secure.
As we’ve seen, cloud storage offers many advantages over on-premises storage, but one of its most appealing features is its enhanced security.
Employees storing data on the company network are responsible for maintaining adequate protection against intruders or malware infections.
But when your organization uses a third-party service provider to store data offsite, that is, in the cloud—you can rest assured knowing that their team will be taking care of all those security concerns in their stead.
Cloud services providers employ expert engineers who monitor network traffic and protect against potential threats by implementing advanced firewalls and encryption protocols.
Moreover, cloud services providers ensure that each user account has its own set of different credentials (i.e., username/password), making it much more difficult for attackers to access sensitive information stored within these accounts.
Management
Cloud storage requires less management. With cloud storage, you don’t need to worry about maintenance and software updates for your data because the service provider manages it.
On-premises storage requires more management. If you choose on-premises storage, you must manage the hardware, software, and system updates yourself, which can be time-consuming and require a lot of effort.
Cost of hardware and software
Cost is among the most significant factors in deciding whether to use cloud storage. Cloud storage is typically more expensive than on-premises storage because it requires additional hardware, software, and maintenance costs.
However, if you can use cloud services without incurring those additional costs (e.g., by using a managed service provider), then cloud storage can be cheaper than purchasing dedicated hardware and software for your own data center.
Maintenance
One of the outstanding advantages of cloud storage over on-premises storage is that it requires less maintenance.
You don’t need to deal with hardware issues, software updates, or human intervention. Cloud storage is also more efficient than traditional systems because it doesn’t require multiple employees to spend time maintaining and updating the system. This means that your company can save money using this solution.
Backup and data retention
Cloud storage is much more cost-effective.
Cloud storage is more scalable, meaning you can scale up or down as your data needs change over time. On-premises storage requires the purchase of new hardware whenever there’s an increase in capacity requirements, which will require downtime while the upgrade takes place.
Cloud storage is more secure—it has multiple layers of security controls to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access, including encryption at rest and in transit, as well as strict contractual obligations with third parties that handle your data on our behalf of us (e.g., our cloud provider).
In addition to this, cloud providers are subject to extensive audits by external auditors who have no vested interest in their business but rather represent a neutral party who only cares about compliance with industry standards
and best practices for storing sensitive data safely and securely so that it can be accessed when needed without any issues arising from poor security measures being taken on behalf of others who may not share similar values when it comes down to protecting personal information belonging both inside AND outside your company’s walls!
Finally–and perhaps most importantly–cloud solutions offer significantly better manageability than traditional methods like tape backups: they’re more accessible.
Scalability
Cloud storage is an excellent option for businesses that want to scale their storage needs quickly and easily.
Cloud storage can be scaled to meet the needs of your business, while on-premises storage requires additional hardware purchases and maintenance costs.
Compliance
If compliance is essential to your company, the cloud is the way to go. Cloud storage providers offer more options for securing data than on-premises storage providers do.
For example, a cloud provider can give you access to their hardware with encrypted drives and biometrics at the entrance so no one can enter without authorization.
That way, only people with approved access can open the door and get into their data center. And even if someone did manage to break in, they wouldn’t be able to access anything unless they had been given permission beforehand.
On-premises storage tends to be less secure than this because companies sometimes have little control over all aspects of their security policies.
Still, when you store everything remotely via cloud providers like AWS or Azure instead of storing it locally at your own offices (or elsewhere), any conformity requirements are automatically taken care of by default because everything’s managed by those third parties instead.
Disaster recovery
If your servers are in the cloud and your data is stored on-premises, it’s easy for an entire site to be lost when one server goes down.
This is because if the server goes down or is compromised, all data becomes inaccessible. However, if you store your data in the cloud and use a hybrid model (where some files remain on-premises), restoring those files quickly would be relatively easy.
- Security
The security measures used by public clouds are generally more secure than those used by private clouds.
With that said, there’s still no guarantee that your information will be safe from hackers or other malicious actors if it’s stored in a public cloud environment – but it’s likely safer than storing that same information within an on-premises network infrastructure owned by yourself alone.
Bandwidth costs
The bandwidth costs associated with cloud computing are generally less expensive than those associated with traditional data center infrastructure.
For example, run a high-traffic website using Amazon Web Services (AWS) and pay for the necessary monthly bandwidth. That cost will likely be lower than if you were to purchase servers and host your site at an on-premises facility.
Ease of use for customers and staff
Cloud storage has better access. Cloud storage is more accessible and easy to use due to the fact that you have access to your data anytime and wherever you want.
It helps you share files with clients, collaborators, or even family members who want to see pictures of the kids!
Cloud storage is more flexible. The flexibility of cloud storage means that if you need extra space, it’s easy and affordable to get more—even on a moment’s notice (unlike buying an external hard drive).
You can also expand your backup capabilities with multiple locations for protection in case one fails.* Cloud storage is mobile.
With cloud-based solutions like iCloud Photo Library in iOS 8 or Google Photos in Android Lollipop 5+, users can automatically upload photos and videos directly from their phone, so they never miss out on capturing anything important again (and they don’t have to worry about running out of space).
On-premises storage has advantages over cloud storage
On-premises storage has advantages over cloud storage: it’s easier to secure and manage since you can customize the security settings. But cloud storage is more cost-effective and scalable than on-premises solutions.
Cloud platforms allow you to scale up your data storage as needed, so you can avoid buying excess capacity or upgrading your infrastructure if you’re running out of space.
Cloud providers also offer additional features like backup services and disaster recovery tools that make the management process much smoother than it would be otherwise.
Conclusion
As you can see, using cloud storage has a lot of advantages. From security to ease of use, it’s clear that the future is in the cloud—which is why we recommend it at every turn.
If you’re considering leaping yourself, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible; your business will be better off.
