Cloud-Based vs. On-Premises: How to Maximize Benefits of Each Infrastructure Model

Ideal solution combines cloud-based and on-premises

It is this combination of cloud-based and on-premises solutions that offers organizations the best way of exploiting technology change. Unfortunately, with the current vendor polarization, to achieve this mixed model could add complexity and cost; organizations could need to manage both multiple vendor relationships and the interfaces between solutions.

The ideal compromise is a solution that leverages both on-premises and cloud models to meet each organization's specific needs. For example, an e-mail archiving solution that backs up to the cloud automatically and then—should the Internet connection fail—continues seamlessly to back up to a local archiving service. Then, as soon as the Internet connection is back up, automatically pushes the archive backup to the online solution. The technology is seamless not only for users but also for in-house IT personnel, minimizing the management overhead.

Conclusion

As we've discussed, the current vendor polarization between cloud-based and on-premises models is undermining the value of both approaches. Organizations need different solutions to meet their needs—and the way in which both cloud-based and on-premises technologies will deliver value will change as an organization evolves. The key is for organizations to not just leverage both models to meet their evolving business needs, but to find suppliers that can seamlessly and transparently move between the two models to meet those changing needs.

Ed Harnish is Vice President of Marketing at GFI Software. Ed, a 25-year veteran of the high-technology industry, has a long track record of providing both customer and shareholder value. A pioneer of the concept of customer-centric organizations (where everyone in an organization works toward a clear set of goals that empower its customer base to become more competitive), Ed has assisted dozens of companies to achieve their growth goals. Prior to joining GFI, Ed was vice president of marketing at Acronis, contributing to the company's growth from less than $20M 2005 to $120M in 2008. Ed has held senior positions at Aptus Technologies, Switchboard, and Banyan Systems. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Ed was honorably discharged in 1979. He can be reached at eharnish@gfi.com.