This blog looks at some of the benefits, challenges, and differences between deployment options, and which of these are best suited for your information solution
Choosing where your new (or existing) technology solution is deployed can be a tough decision – especially when it comes to your information infrastructure. The deployment of your solution can have a lasting impact on the longevity, security, and accessibility of your information. Oftentimes the outcome is dictated by specific prerequisites that are required from the solution; whether it be for compliance, practicality, scalability, futureproofing, or many other reasons. To meet these requirements there are a number of deployment options available.
Within this blog, we look to demystify and explain some of the benefits, challenges, and differences of technology deployment options, and which of these are best suited for your information solution. For the purpose of this blog, we’ll be focusing on three categories of deployments; Multi-Tenant (cloud)- services hosted on shared servers, Single-Tenant (private-cloud) – services hosted on private servers, and On-Premise – services hosted on private servers that are on-site and managed by the organization.
Cost
The most obvious (and in some cases the most critical) difference is the cost of the three deployment options. From setup, to hosting, to maintenance; the realm in which you deploy an information solution can make a vast difference to the overall cost.
On the economical side of the spectrum is Muti-Tenant or cloud deployment. With low-to-no setup costs, because there is no need to invest heavily in infrastructure, and generally reasonable virtual rental costs, covering maintenance, security, and hosting; overall expenditure is relatively low.
Single-Tenant or private clouds come at a much greater cost than their public counterparts. In the public-cloud you’re sharing server space with others, a private-cloud provides infrastructure solely for you and your organization which requires significant investment.
On-Premise can represent both the high-cost or cheaper option depending on your organization’s current resources and capacity. While maintaining your own systems and infrastructure can be costly, if you have the spare capacity, it can be much cheaper to deploy a solution internally. However, if this is not the case, there would need to be a significant investment into the necessary infrastructure, processes, knowledgebase, security, (which can become exceptionally expensive) before this is even feasible.
Scalability
The importance of scalability is largely dependent on your business-phase. SMEs and start-ups looking to grow rapidly must consider solutions that can easily grow with their business. Large enterprises aren’t (for the most part) going to experience the same level of growth so needn’t prioritize a solution that can rapidly scale in their considerations.
Cloud and Private-cloud options can be easily scaled to suit business needs – in some cases as easily as purchasing clothing online. On-Premise can, however, require significant investments in resources and capabilities for it to scale at the same pace meaning that oftentimes (unless there is spare capacity and resourcing) organizations will be better suited to choose a cloud deployment option.
Security
This depends solely on the resources of the organization in question. Yes, while On-Premise servers security levels can be tailored to your organization’s needs, the resources and infrastructure this requires are extensive. If you’re an SME with fewer resources than a large enterprise, you’re more than likely going to find your deployment more secure in a cloud setting, where the cloud operator manages and maintains security, than in your own on-premise equivalent.
Whichever deployment method you choose there are four critical security factors that should be considered before making your choice. These are:
1) Infrastructure
- What level of security does the deployment options infrastructure provide? Is it something market leading like AWS or Azure?
2) Transmission
- How is your information transmitted? Is it encrypted and secured through HTTPS?
3) Storage
- Where and how is your data stored? Who can access it?
- Is it encrypted so that only the data-owner can access it?
4) Privacy
- How is your data handled? What level of privacy policy does the solution provider offer?
Visibility
Who has access to your data and the ability to process it is a significant and necessary consideration to make when choosing a level of deployment. As mentioned above, all of these solutions are highly secure, yet the nature of some information lends itself to a much stricter level of control – whether this is due to the proprietary nature of the information, a level of legislative or regulatory control, etc.
Traditionally, cloud deployments have been viewed as second-rate in the control and visibility that they provide for over your organization’s data. This is no longer the case and for the most part, On-Premise and cloud offerings are equivalent in both.
Conclusion
There are many factors you need to consider when looking at technology deployments for your organization. The above four factors are some of the primary ones, but they are by no means an exhaustive list. Our experience of working with our clients to decide the best option for them has shown that the factors are weighted entirely differently depending on the organization you work for or the industry in which you operate. Each has its own pros and cons but there is generally a solution within the spectrum of deployment that suits your business, now and into the future.
Regardless of your decision, InfoDesk’s technology solutions can be deployed in an environment of your choosing. From cloud to on-premise and everything in between, our tailored solutions meet your needs, where you need them to.
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