When looking for the best deployment option for your application or platform, you may have come across terms like cloud, on-premise, private, and hybrid deployments. Each of these is a software deployment option but provides distinct functionality. Although there are alternative software deployment choices, this article will concentrate on on-premises deployments.
Table Of Contents
- Introduction
- On-Premises Deployment: What Is It?
- Benefits of on-premises deployment
- Disadvantages of on-premises
- When to Use on-Premises Deployment
- QuickBlox’s Deployment Options
Introduction
On-premises software deployment is when your software is installed and run from your physical servers. This can be contrasted with software that's hosted in the cloud, which is run by a third party.
On-premises software has historically been the method enterprises have used to deploy their software. This involves getting software licenses, installing them, and managing your servers. Large enterprises use on-premises software to automate their corporate-wide processes. Before the advent of cloud computing, it was the only option available.
This article will help you understand what on-premise deployment is, its benefits, and its disadvantages.
On-premises Vs. Cloud Hosting: Frequently Asked Questions provides answers to questions you may have about both hosting solutions.
On-Premises Deployment: What Is It?
Imagine that you're a business owner and you need to purchase some software for your company. You have two options: you can either buy the software outright or you can subscribe to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
With on-premises deployment, you purchase the software and install it on your servers. With SaaS, the software is hosted by the provider and accessed by users through the Internet.
There are pros and cons to both options, but in general, on-premises deployment is seen as more secure because the data is used on your servers. However, on-premises deployment can be more expensive to set up and can require more maintenance.
On-premise deployment is the type of software installation in which the software is installed on computers that are owned, managed, and controlled by the organization deploying the software.
You are responsible for purchasing server equipment and hardware, purchasing software licenses, configuring the servers, installing and running them, and having IT staff on hand to manage and support when issues arise.
The software contains databases, modules, and everything an organization needs for infrastructure management. It’s your enterprise's responsibility to manage server security, back up databases, and ensure data privacy. Only the company's internal staff have access to the database.
Even while on-premises usage appears to be dropping and businesses are shifting to the cloud, certain organizations or corporations continue to deploy their software on-premises. This is particularly useful in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, FinTech, and government, where data requires precise protection or privacy.
On-premises IT assets provide organizations with total control over their data, storage, and infrastructure, as opposed to IT assets hosted by a third party or public cloud provider.
In deciding whether to deploy software on-premises, it's crucial to know the pros and cons. In the next section, we'll go through the advantages and disadvantages in greater depth.
Benefits of on-premises deployment
The decision between on-premises and cloud computing is purely based on the demands, needs, and goals of an organization. Let's look at its advantages to see if on-premises is the best match for your company.
Deployment:The deployment of on-premises software takes place in-house on the company's server. Because the server is owned by the company, it is managed by the company.
Security: If security is a top priority for you, then on-premises software is the better option. On-premises software can be a great choice for businesses that have a lot of sensitive data that they don't want to be stored in the cloud. It's a great option if you want to keep your data completely in-house. You're not reliant on the internet or on a third party to store and access your information.
You're also in control of security, which is a major concern for many businesses. You can set up firewalls and other security measures to protect your data and your system.
Integration: On-premises software can be integrated with other systems, both within your organization and outside of it. This allows you to share data and automate processes between systems.
Control: Using on-premises software gives you complete control over your data and how it is accessed and used. On-premises software puts you in control - you decide when and how updates are made, and you control who can access the system.
With on-premises software, you have total control. It is your responsibility to install, upgrade, and maintain it.
Compliance: On-premises is beneficial for companies or organizations that need to comply with certain regulations that require them to keep their data on-site. The most prevalent is the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which protects private health information and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which protects students' privacy. There are many other rules including those set by the government.
On-premises software is used by businesses that must adhere to industry compliance regulations to help them stay compliant by storing their data on-site to have full control over its access.
Check out HIPAA-Compliant Cloud Hosting: What does it mean? or On-premises or cloud hosting for banking and finance? to learn more about compliant hosting for the healthcare and banking and finance industry.
Disadvantages of on-premises
While there are many benefits to on-premises software deployment, there are also a few disadvantages to consider.
Cost: On-premises can be expensive when setting it up. The setting up of on-premises software on your company's premises can be very expensive because your enterprise is responsible for the purchase of required hardware, software installation, purchase of software licenses and other infrastructure required.
Additionally, you're responsible for maintaining the server and dealing with any technical issues that may arise. You also need to have the manpower in place to manage and support the system. If something goes wrong, it's up to you to fix it.
Inflexibility: Another downside is that on-premises software can be inflexible. If your business needs to scale up or down, it can be difficult to do with an on-premises solution. You're also limited by your bandwidth and storage capacity.
A decline in use by the enterprise: As more and more businesses move to the cloud, the demand for on-premises software will continue to decline. But that doesn't mean it's going to disappear altogether. There are still a lot of businesses out there that aren't ready to make the switch to the cloud, and they'll continue to rely on on-premises software for years to come.
That said, on-premises software is slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past. It's no longer seen as cutting-edge technology, and businesses are starting to realize that there are a lot of advantages to moving to the cloud.
When to Use on-Premises Deployment
You might be wondering when you would want to use on-premises deployment. Here are a few scenarios when on-premises might be the best option:
1. When sensitive data needs to be kept on-site
2. When you need to have full control over the system and the data it contains
3. When you need to comply with a specific industry or government regulations
4. When you want to use your software or hardware
QuickBlox’s Deployment Options
To meet the requirements of our customers, QuickBlox offers a wide range of deployment options. If you're developing an application and require real-time communication functionality like instant messaging, audio and video calling, private chat, or a virtual consultation solution then QuickBlox is the right solution for you. In case you're worried about data security or a hosting service option that complies with your business regulations, we are flexible about deploying our communication solutions.
There are several deployment options offered by QuickBlox, including the following:
Cloud option
With the cloud option, you can either choose to host your application on a public or private cloud. You can host your real-time communication with a cloud provider of your choosing or in QuickBlox's secure hosting infrastructure.
On-premises option
You can fully control your data security by deploying QuickBlox communication software on your on-premise hosting servers. If your project needs to comply with regulations, this choice is ideal.
You can either work with our siteOps team to set up the installation, or your team can handle all the setup installation and management.
Contact our team right away to find out more about our hosting options, communication solutions, and enterprise plan.
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