When it’s time to make an investment in new software, you may be drawn to the cloud because of the reduced cost and scalability, while other members of your team lean toward an on-premise solution or an as as-a-service option. How do you know which factors should influence your decision?
It’s never an exact science when choosing software for your business, and the wealth of options available through cloud, on-premise, and hybrid solutions is overwhelming -- and that’s before you even get started choosing a vendor. Here are a few basic factors that may help you single out a software environment.
Choose an on-premise software solution when:
- Security is best kept close to home, such as in situations like storing video for a police department.
- Regulations stipulate that data must be kept within the company’s physical and virtual control at all times.
- Legacy systems cannot be moved to the cloud.
- Migration size and time are too formidable for data to move to the cloud.
Choose a cloud solution when:
- The growth trajectory of your company is unclear; cloud software is easily scalable.
- Your business is variable in nature and needs the cost savings of a flexible architecture. Seasonal businesses or situations where one business unit is much busier than another are examples of variable situations that require the cloud.
- You want a major impact. Cloud architecture provides major cost savings and productivity improvements, along with reduced need for IT involvement and easier updates.
Choose as-a-service when:
- You value agility. Choosing as-a-service allows you to commit for a shorter time period to a solution and have the option to change or upgrade as your business needs change.
- You want to streamline IT costs. As-a-service software enables your IT team to push off the details to the vendor, and focus on bigger-picture concerns.
- Your future needs are uncertain, and it’s difficult to determine what type of software your business might require in three to five years.
- The product you like is offered in this format.
There a number of factors that can influence your decision. The important first step is to determine the needs of your organization based on your business processes. From there, use these guidelines to help solidify your decision on which architecture is best for your company.
Enterprise Visions is experienced at helping companies like yours evaluate their technology needs and determine which type of software environment is the best fit. Talk with us about your specific situation to find the best type of software for reducing your costs and improving productivity.