Insights

Cloud, on-premises or hybrid: how small businesses should choose

“Should we move to the cloud?” is one of the most common questions we hear. The honest answer is that it depends on the workload, and for many small businesses the best setup is a mix. Here’s how to think it through.

What each option really means

  • Cloud: someone else runs the hardware, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or a software-as-a-service product. You pay monthly and can scale up or down.
  • On-premises: you own and run servers in your office or a closet. You pay up front and maintain them yourself or through a provider.
  • Hybrid: some workloads in the cloud, some on-site, connected securely. Common and often sensible.

Questions that decide it

  1. How do people work? Remote and mobile staff favor cloud email, files and identity.
  2. What does the software need? Some line-of-business applications run best, or only, on a local server.
  3. How good is your internet? Large files and heavy apps in the cloud need reliable bandwidth and a backup connection.
  4. What does it cost over five years? Compare subscriptions with hardware, licenses, power, maintenance and replacement.
  5. What do clients and insurers require? Some contracts specify where data lives and how it is protected.

A sensible default for most small businesses

Email and files in a well-managed cloud productivity suite; identity and device management in the cloud; and servers and line-of-business applications either on AWS or on a small, well-maintained local server, depending on cost, performance and how people use them. Back up all of it, including the cloud data.

Common mistakes

  • Lifting and shifting old servers to the cloud unchanged, then paying more for the same problems
  • Assuming your cloud provider backs up your data the way you expect (on AWS, backups are your responsibility)
  • Skipping a pilot group and discovering problems with the whole company on Monday morning
  • Carrying messy permissions and access straight over from the old file server

Planning a move? Our AWS cloud migration services cover discovery through optimization, or book a consultation to talk it through.