On Premises
What is an On Premises environment?
An on premises (often referred to as ‘on prem’) solution is where a company’s IT infrastructure is on-site, and is managed by a IT department or IT provider who administers and maintains the hardware, applications or databases. The IT department is also responsible for managing backups, compliance and security. This is in contrast to cloud computing which is hosted in the cloud and requires an internet connection to access software.
On Premises vs. Cloud Computing
Whilst an on premises solution and cloud computing are both relating to IT infrastructure, there are a whole host of differences.
Cost
On Premises software solutions often have high initial costs for the purchasing and ongoing maintenance costs of the hardware. In the long term, the operational costs might be lower in comparison to ongoing subscription for cloud computing software.
Off Premises software solutions have lower upfront costs, as companies will pay based on their usage or service levels. This is a good option for purchasing for your business needs, as you can scale the usage and service as your business scales on an as needed basis.
Security measures
When software is hosted on on premises systems, companies are responsible for data security. This means they have to create and implement security measures to protect their infrastructure from breaches and threats. This can include network security to protect sensitive data, data encryption protocols, as well as physical security on site to protect the physical servers.
Cloud software service providers are responsible for providing and implementing robust security measures to protect a company’s data and infrastructure. Often, the cloud provider will ensure that the security measures that have been implemented to protect customer data are more robust than what an individual company.
Scalability
On premise scalability may be more limited as additional server hardware and infrastructure must be built in order to accommodate growth or a change in demand. This means that growth must be planned into the capabilities of the hardware in advance, and if companies have their own IT infrastructure they must also be prepared for the additional costs of this.
Cloud based software solutions offer greater scalability than on premises software, because they don’t require any upfront investment from the company. Cloud based software also typically runs improvements and operating systems upgrades in house, so companies opting to pay for software as a service, don’t have to take on the onus of performing them.
Is Eclipse an On-Premises Software?
Eclipse software, including our Eclipse 4, Eclipse Core and Eclipse Core Pro are available as an on-premises solution and a SaaS solution. Here are some things to note:
Local installation
If you need an on premises solution, the software is stored and installed directly onto your own infrastructure. This gives you full control over the hardware, security and maintenance of your products, however it also means that you need to have this hardware available.
Security
Your data, and that of your recruitment teams and candidates will be stored on the network of your business. This means that you are responsible for ensuring the security needs for accommodating that are fulfilled.
Customisability
On premises solutions often allow for more extensive customisations. This comes with risks though, the more complex your data becomes, the more complex the data migration requirements if you ever decide to move to the cloud. However, you are also able to seamlessly integrate your solutions with other on premises solutions to maximise value in investment.