On-premise or Cloud. Which is better?

When you decide to adopt a document management software for your company, many evaluations are made and technical characteristics are considered: reliability, efficiency, economic impact, versatility, integration with your systems and more. And at the time of installation there is a further decision to make: is an on-premise or cloud solution better?

An on-premise document management system is installed and managed on the company's physical servers, and in this way, the entire software environment is hosted within the customer's IT infrastructure. On the contrary, a cloud document management system is hosted on remote servers and accessible via the Internet. The software is provided as a SaaS (Software as a Service) service, such as LogicalDOC Cloud.
Let's see what the main advantages and disadvantages of the two systems are:

On-Premise

Advantages
The on-premise solution is based on a local installation on company servers, which tends to guarantee greater control; the company has total control over the data, the configuration, and the entire infrastructure. This generally also involves greater flexibility in customizing the software, with the possibility of calibrating the document management program to the specific needs of the company organization. For example, in the case of very specific or stringent protocols or regulatory compliance, with an on-premise installation it is possible to adapt the structure to your internal needs.

Disadvantages
On the other hand, this type of customization often translates into higher initial costs. To ensure the correct functioning of an advanced document management system, it is necessary to invest in hardware, licenses and software and have adequate IT resources. In addition to the costs associated with activation, the company must consider that with an on-premise installation all subsequent maintenance will also be at its expense. The company's responsibilities include software updates, data backup, security, and system technical management. If the company's needs change, scalability may be limited because expanding the system's resources may often require additional investments.

Cloud

Advantages
Without a doubt, the main advantage of a cloud solution is greater immediacy and usability. Accessibility is guaranteed practically everywhere and is available from any device connected to the Internet. The software is generally already standardized and ready to use with a few configurations.
In resource management, the cloud solution can be less demanding and more economically convenient; it does not require particular internal IT infrastructures, proprietary servers, or dedicated and specifically trained IT resources. The provider will take care of all the technical aspects, updates, and security management. Furthermore, in the event of rapid expansion of our document archive, the cloud solution allows immediate scalability, allowing us to easily increase space, users, or functionality.

Disadvantages
One of the main limitations is certainly the dependence on the Internet. Although cloud solutions generally also have offline functionality, access to the system is severely limited in the event of an absence of connection.
Furthermore, although the chosen providers are safe and reliable, our data will inevitably be managed by third parties with consequent less control on our part. This may raise some concerns for companies that operate in sectors constrained by regulations or require total and confidential data control.
From an economic point of view, a cloud installation often has a lower impact in the initial phase. Still, it generally involves a recurring cost with monthly or annual payment models, which can be less convenient in the long term if used intensively.

Which is the right choice?

Ultimately, which is the best solution to adopt between cloud and on-premise? It is not possible to give a single answer to this question because the truth is that the best solution is the one that best suits the needs of your company. Before choosing which solution to adopt between an on-premise and a cloud installation, it is necessary to identify the needs of your company, what resources you have, and what the main use of the DMS will be.

In general, we recommend an on-premise installation if you already have a solid IT infrastructure, if data security and control are an absolute priority for your company, or if it must comply with regulations that require local data management. It may be convenient to opt for this type of choice even if you plan to use the software intensively and in the long term, which allows you to amortize the initial purchase costs. The cloud, on the other hand, may be the right answer if you want a quick solution to activate, ready to use, easy to use, and if you don't want to worry about maintenance and updates. The cloud can also be the right choice if your company operates with distributed teams or those who often work remotely and if you want to be able to scale your software according to your needs without further hardware investments.

LogicalDOC solutions

Whatever your company's document management needs, LogicalDOC is able to satisfy them. LogicalDOC has developed robust data management solutions both with on-premise installations and by adopting the SaaS approach of LogicalDOC Cloud, always guaranteeing efficiency, security, and ease of use.
With LogicalDOC, you can customize your document management software according to your priorities, always finding the right answer to your needs.
Learn more about how LogicalDOC can integrate perfectly with your work.