On Premise or “On Prem” as it can be known as, has been a standard since the beginning. For years, companies selected software that fit their needs, had a proven track record, and ran on the latest server, held in high esteem. It was the one thing that ran the company, kept the axles greased, the money flowing in, and the owners happy, all in its own area in the building.
There were people that knew the hardware, the software, and the way it all connected together to support the company. Some type of network was established to connect everyone. Terminals, PCs, and Printers were sprinkled around where they were needed, even in other branch locations. Probably there was a UPS for the server and a few devices in the computer room, possibly even an onsite generator in case it was needed.
Daily backups were kept, possibly even weekly, monthly, or annually were done. They were possibly kept offsite in case the building caught fire or was destroyed by a hurricane. There might have been Disaster Recovery Plans made in case that happened. It may have been tested every six months to make certain it was updated and clear to follow.
When the IT staff took a vacation, it was staggered around holidays, peak times of business, and system upgrades. Cross training on operation and system management was also handled to make certain vacation could occur. It’s possible the IT Manager took a laptop on vacation just in case it was needed.
Server upgrades were done in parallel with the existing system. Software compatibility was verified, new licenses were acquired, and familiarity with the new Operating System was learned. Once there was confidence in the system, then the old server was kept running for several months for a select few individuals until it was no longer needed.
Many businesses continue to run this way and that’s fine. There is nothing wrong with this if it works for you.
Consider what is needed in this scenario:
Server Maintenance Agreement: Server, Operating System, Application Software
Updates: Server, Operating System, Application Software
Security: Server AntiVirus, Firewall, Physical Location, Weather Threats
Personnel-Internal or External: Server, Operating System, Application Software
Higher Specialized Power and AC: Server / Network Room / UPS / Generator
Vigilance: Awareness of current possible threats and vulnerabilities
System Backup: data, Operating System, what do if it totally crashed
A good portion of these are not needed or greatly reduced when the company goes to the cloud.
