The four drawbacks with on-premise databases

George Binns Date published: Nov 07, 23

Businesses today are faced with the choice between tried and tested On-Premises databases or the up-and-coming Cloud based solutions. The On-Premises approach has been favoured for years but is it still worth it in the new age? Here we will consider the Four main drawbacks with using an On-Site Server to host data compared to the new Cloud based approach.

Costs

Cost management is crucial for almost every business. Whilst it may seem costly to outsource data to another company, firms must consider the hidden expenses with having a server in house. When calculating costs all companies include the hardware costs as well as server and CPU core licencing expenses, however there are a wide range of other costs less often considered. For example, IT overheads, depreciation, replacements or upgrades and even back up storage amongst a host of other drains are often overlooked when companies calculate their costs for their databases. Furthermore, there will be a large cost on simply the supervision and maintenance of the servers, with multiple IT professionals likely being needed either from the company or a third party to ensure the servers stay operational. Maintenance of these servers is also a continuous challenge making the task incredibly resource intensive.

Security

Another misconception can be housing data on site is more secure than on the cloud or with another business. The fact of the matter is with the on-premises data, all the security is pointless if the database itself is not up to date and secure, essentially leaving the door unlocked to the safe. A study by Imperva Research Labs found there are on average 26 existing vulnerabilities in every database due to neglect of the already in place system. In contrast, the dedicated cloud systems’ security is constantly updated through the host company meaning whilst there’s a fixed overhead cost to have the data stored, there would be no need to spend any money on security for any databases on site or worry about having to keep that updated as well as still running, the cloud does it all for you.

Furthermore, on-site databases encounter disaster recovery problems so after hardware failure, natural disasters and even breaches, there can be costly downtime and even data loss. The cloud offers a secure backup, which gets rid of the need for extensive planning and costs.

Flexibility

The digital age is upon us and to succeed in the modern business world companies must be flexible not just with their products but their functioning.  The GWR found that 9 in 10 employees no longer see the workplace as just a physical building, but also in the cloud as they’re then able to access the most updated information whenever and wherever they may need it. Having operations software that is not tied to a location but to the cloud allows much more flexibility for employees as they can work not only just from home without hinderance, but globally and still perform all seamlessly. Additionally, the legacy model of on-premises technology isn’t designed to be able to host multiple devices whereas with the cloud not only can operations be run on multiple devices but over different platforms including smartphones and tablets. These cloud features together give the entire business a global reach and allow employees to access critical data that could be required anywhere or anytime.

On premise databases also have limited scalability compared to the cloud model, therefore if a business acquires or experiences significant growth it can be time consuming and costly to upscale your on-premises database. The high setup costs of acquiring the new hardware can act as a barrier to growth, additionally the configuring of the new hardware may cause downtime or disruptions. Cloud software allows for upscaling and downscaling too, further adding to the flexibility it allows a company compared to the on-Premises database.

Environmental Impact

Running the on-Premises databases requires large amounts of energy which will have significant impacts on a company’s carbon footprint. The cloud is rapidly becoming a more sustainable practice and hosting data on the cloud is an easy way to reduce the carbon footprint without needing in house servers to host solutions. To put it into numbers according to Microsoft and WSP Global Inc, cloud computing is 93% more efficient than the in-house servers as it not only reduces the energy consumption but additionally cloud computing reduces the waste emissions by replacing the array of hardware need to host an on-site server. On top of that the use of the cloud allows for companies to go paperless cutting back immensely on the environmental damage that comes from printing the tonnes of paper needed to operate. 

Conclusions

Despite the on-premises model being the cornerstone of business for decades, and the tried and tested method, when facing the challenges of the modern age their drawbacks have been highlighted much more. Whilst the ultimate choice will have to factor in budget and business objectives, the cloud offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability needed to navigate today’s business environment as well as keeping dependable security at the same time. The fact of the matter is most software services are moving towards a much more SaaS ( Software as a Service ) model as it offers solutions to the flaws of On-premises management.

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