DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
On-premise vs colocation vs cloud vs hybrid : What ’ s best for your business ?
The current demand for digital services leaves organisations grappling with the imperative of keeping pace and strategically managing the storage and accessibility of their data and applications . Herman Chan , President of Sunbird Software , a leader in second-generation DCIM for remote data centre management , outlines the trajectory of hosting solutions , ranging from traditional on-premise infrastructure to colocation , cloud and hybrid deployments . He presents a spectrum of choices , the advantages and disadvantages of each hosting option and insights for making well-informed decisions .
oOn-premise data centres An on-premise data centre is owned and operated by an organisation and located within its own facilities . It can range from one or two servers in a closet to a dedicated server room or multiple data centre facilities .
Top three advantages of onpremise data centres
• Complete control . Organisations own their buildings and equipment which allows them to customise their IT and facilities to meet their specific needs .
Organisations without facilities expertise can still rent state-of-the-art facilities with advanced cooling systems , redundant power and robust security measures .
• Long-term cost-effectiveness . Although building a data centre requires a significant initial investment , the ongoing expenses are typically lower than alternatives and the ability to optimise infrastructure utilisation can result in cost savings over time .
• High visibility . Direct oversight and access to infrastructure facilitates quicker detection and response to issues and vulnerabilities .
Top three disadvantages of onpremise data centres
• Large upfront costs . The investment in facilities , hardware , software and personnel may not be feasible for all organisations .
• Facilities management . Dedicated facilities staff with specialised skills are necessary to maintain the building and troubleshoot issues . Regular investment in new infrastructure and technology is often required .
• Fixed infrastructure . Resources are typically provisioned for peak demand , making it impractical and costly to
Herman Chan , President Sunbird Software scale down the footprint with significant reconfiguration and decommissioning processes .
An on-premise data centre may be the right choice for :
• Large enterprises with complex IT environments , high security requirements and the ability to bear the upfront cost .
• Government agencies that handle sensitive data that cannot be stored off-site .
• Financial institutions or other organisations processing cardholder data that must comply with PCI-DSS regulations .
• Healthcare providers storing patient data that must comply with HIPAA regulations .
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