What to choose between clouds and on-premise servers? On-premise servers are not all the same, so the correct answer depends on the technology of the on-premise server concerned.
Despite what it looks like, the debate between supporters of cloud solutions and supporters of on-premise servers is destined to go on for years. The problem is that new developments in both cloud and server technologies keep on moving the goal posts, so that it is difficult to take a definitive decision for one or another technology.
According to the Yankee Group (they are a group of IT experts), on-premise systems are 60 per cent more expensive than cloud solutions. But it is true? The answer depends on the technology utilized. So, while this is true for traditional on-premise servers, that is not necessarily true for innovative on-premise products, for example, the Californian company R-HUB’s web conferencing servers.
The Yankee Group’s report determines some advantages for cloud solutions. The SaaS (the acronym stands for Software as a Service) allows end users to cut down consistently on many costs that are traditionally associated with on-premise servers, like data centre, hardware, maintenance, installation and configuration, electricity power, staff training and IT personnel, IT infrastructures and networks, not to mention cabinets and space.
This is undoubtedly true for traditional servers that are heavy, cumbersome and noisy machines that require a lot of attention and special cares. So, no doubt that in the traditional computing scenario going cloud is a great solution, even for web conferencing. But what happens if the technology changes? In such a case, is still Yankee Group’s report valid?
In my humble opinion, a revision of the considerations of the report has become necessary at least in the field of web conferencing. In facts, many of the issues raised in the report have been brilliantly solved by the new generation of on-premise web conferencing servers. A clear example of this assumption are the Californian company R-HUB’s products.
R-HUB’s products are plug-and-play, which means that they are self-installing, self-configuring and self-updating machines. So, bye bye IT team, it is not necessary any longer, neither for maintenance. Similar considerations can be made about the network and the necessary IT infrastructure. And we have already swept away at least a good half of the traditional on-premise server costs.
Coming to the space needs, R-HUB’s web conferencing servers are so silent and small that they can be set on the shelf of a bookcase. So, no need of rooms and server cabinets. And about staff training, R-HUB utilize a graphic interface that is quite similar to web conferencing services like Skype; in one word, something easy-to-use and very intuitive.
Even in web conferencing, technology runs fast and need continuous refreshing. What seems a rock-hard truth today, it becomes a fallacy tomorrow.