In today's environment, where cyberattacks are more frequent than ever, companies feel an increased need to bolster their online security. Therefore, many companies are experiencing a transition from on-premise security to cloud-based security.
On-Premise Security
On-premise security involves using physical servers and a data center in the office to store your information. Typically, this data is stored in a single location and can be quickly restored in a cyber-breach or network failure.
On-premise security is fully managed by a business’s IT team, which makes the system customizable with your organization’s changing IT needs.
Cloud-Based Security
Cloud-based security involves storing your data off-site on servers owned by third-party firms. This data is warehoused in data centers anywhere in the world, often in multiple locations.
The organization's IT team does not control the computer infrastructure where the data is stored, but it can still manage and access the data from anywhere. The data warehouse you partner with is responsible for maintaining their servers and scaling the capacity on an as-needed basis.
On-Premise Security vs. Cloud Security
Both on-premise and cloud security come with their own share of benefits. Let’s take a look at them:
Disaster Management and Data Availability
Disaster management involves ensuring your data remains safe in case of server failure. Data availability refers to accessing the data on demand.
Cloud servers offer more benefits than on-premise solutions in these regards. Since cloud data is stored in various centers globally, your data will not be impacted by whatever disaster ails the physical location of your organization. Plus, if one data center fails due to a disaster, your data is still safe in other locations.
In addition, cloud storage centers run frequent integrity checks to ensure their redundant backups are operational and available on-demand.
These benefits cannot be replicated by on-premise security since you are limited to the physical servers and failure due to a large-scale disaster.
Monitoring and Surveillance
Data security also means protecting your data from falling into the hands of malicious entities. If you have on-premise security, it should be heavily protected and all its data encrypted. However, if the entire server’s worth of data still falls in the hands of a cyberattacker, it can be catastrophic for your business.
Potential attackers more frequently target cloud storage data centers than server rooms of a single business. However, these data centers have the resources to afford an expert 24/7 security surveillance team, access controls, firewalls, and other security features. You can add these features to in-premise storage, but it can be cost-prohibitive. And if the threat is internal, it can still be challenging to safeguard your data effectively.
Access Management
Data access control is another crucial part of data security. Cloud storage centers built for enterprise and designed with access management in mind have IT managers who have administrative controls and set permissions for data sharing and access and the ability to track shared files.
A cloud-based security infrastructure can also implement multi-factor authentication, session time-outs, and other advanced tools to protect your data.
All of these features are available for on-premise storage as well. However, it can be extremely costly and time-consuming for a company's IT team to implement them. Your company may also need to create a user access management system from scratch.
Is Cloud-Based Security More Secure Than On-Premise Security?
Although on-premise systems offer many benefits, cloud-based security can provide you with more protection in a more affordable and timely way. An on-premise security solution of a firm can surpass the security of a cloud-based infrastructure; however, such cases are rare and can only be afforded by businesses with enough money and resources.
Unless your business can hire a 24/7 security team, cloud-based security is a more secure and effective way to protect your data.
If you want to strengthen your security systems, BCS Consultants can help. Learn more about our products and solutions for your business needs by contacting us.
Cyberattacks…that is why people are going to cloud-based?