Comparing On Premise and On Cloud Archiving Solutions

All businesses have to have email archiving solutions in place. Broadly speaking, they can be either on premise, or they can be on the cloud. So which solution is better for you?

Considerations for On Premise Archiving

If you use this option, all information will be stored within your own data center. Hence, everything is your own responsibility, including choosing, installing, configuring, maintaining, and operating the infrastructure. Things to think about include:

The cost – it is quite costly to get the necessary hardware, software, and support.
Security – you will need to make sure that only the right people have access to the solution, and you need to make sure that the data center is physically secure.
Reliability – what happens when there is a power outage, or the network goes down?
Regulatory compliance – you must make sure that you follow all the rules, and that the right people are accountable.
Perimeter security – this includes things like firewalls, and other methods that stop unwanted outside access to your archiving solution. You will also need a physical security guard at your data center.

Considerations for On Cloud Archiving

The biggest concern there is for storing on the cloud is security. In fact, 51% of small business owners, and 49% of enterprises sited this as their main concern. Indeed, no matter how much control is in place, things can go wrong, as shown, for instance, by the iCloud security breach. However, overall, the cloud is more secure. When the President of Google Enterprise lost his laptop, for instance, and it was found, it was “clean”. This is because all the information was stored elsewhere.

However, there are some concerns about security nevertheless, as well as other considerations, including:

Physical access – who is able to access the information, and how do you prevent them from copying it onto external devices?
Encryption – data has to be encrypted so that anyone without proper access cannot see it.
Security commitment – you should only opt for the cloud if you are committed to making it secure. People need to log out of their system, for instance, if they are to avoid others from accessing the information.

Overall, the cloud is often more reliable, not in the least because it uses technical systems that the majority of companies could never afford. Plus, you don’t have the responsibility for the maintenance, support, and so on. However, it does mean giving something out of your hands, and that is a barrier for many.

Key Features of On Premise Archiving

You are responsible for its physical location, which means you are accountable for failures.
Threats come from inside your company, and outside your company.
You must rely on your network’s firewall to protect information from hackers.
Your own IT staff has to manage it, on top of their other functions.