Cloud Computing or On-Premise? Gartner Says That’s The Question
Many companies are reevaluating their business strategies and process management, but when it comes to the question of whether to deploy on-premise or cloud solutions, there’s still a lot of uncertainty. There’s been an absolute cacophony of cloud chatter in the last few years and, unfortunately, a lot of promises that failed to deliver. Why the difference in results? The answer to that is strategy. While cloud computing has certainly taken off, sometimes on-premise still makes more sense, depending on the enterprise’s IT resources and operational goals. Big Data is becoming a bigger part of business, so with companies looking for the best way to compile, analyze and use their data, the on-premise versus cloud computing debate is still taking place in boardrooms across the globe … and should be for a while to come.
The benefits of deploying cloud-based solutions are well-established by now, with speed and cost effectiveness generally being the primary motivators for purchase. But according to Forbes (Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing Shows Enterprises Finding Value in Big Data), the biggest mistake companies make when purchasing a cloud solution is by not going in with a well-developed strategy and sense of company direction; it’s truly the difference between disappointment and getting the most out of your business. In the article, Forbes puts it succinctly by saying, Leading with a strategic framework of goals and objectives increases the probability of cloud-based platform success. Those enterprises that look to cloud platforms only for cost reduction miss out on their full potential.
Gartner has stated that “Big Data will deliver transformational benefits to enterprises within 2 to 5 years, and by 2015 will enable enterprises adopting this technology to outperform competitors by 20% in every available financial metric.” That’s a fairly impressive prediction. Ignoring the ongoing transition into the cloud will put companies far behind, but just as detrimental to success is shopping for SaaS solutions without a clear roadmap in mind. Some companies may find that on-premise deployments are still the better fit; the important part is making certain that the fit is right for the way you want to do business.
Apptricity Corporation is the provider of Jetstream, which includes E-Procurement, Financial Productivity and Supply Chain Management solutions.
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