Businesses have been moving quickly over the last year to adopt a largely remote approach to doing work. This has brought a significant period of adjustment for everyone involved – for people, for employers, and for the IT teams that serve them.
Just think of all the work involved in terms of data center transformation. How do you store and manage files for an organization that’s operating in this “new normal?” At any given moment, you may have people demanding access from all across town – or even all around the world. You need a system that will accommodate everyone’s needs.
Largely, businesses turn to the cloud when it comes time to address this problem. We’re living in a cloud-obsessed world, as corporate IT leaders often race to move as much data into hybrid cloud platforms as possible, as quickly as possible. But the truth is, there are many situations in which an on-premises data architecture can be more effective. Companies today need a data management strategy that’s smart, adaptable, and attuned to the ever-changing needs brought on by their workloads. Often, on-prem can be that solution.
On-prem offers a number of key benefits. Perhaps chief among them is affordability – because your on-prem infrastructure lives in one simple, centralized location, it’s easier to manage, which means you can manage it effectively without investing as many resources. There’s also data protection – all your files are kept on site, which means you never have to let them out of your sight. And finally, both initial setup and ongoing management are simpler, meaning fewer headaches for your IT team.
Let’s take a look at four areas in particular where on-prem storage can play a strategic role.
- In-office file and print: For businesses that are still quite paper-heavy and aren’t yet prepared to migrate to the cloud, on-prem can be a simple and effective way to go. Retail, accounting, and bookkeeping are all sectors where paper files are still the norm in many cases.
- Code development and app hosting: Many programmers as well as small web hosting firms have found that cloud hosting can drive costs surprisingly high on a per-user basis. When it comes to managing steady data workloads and hosting applications, on-prem can work just fine, and affordably too.
- Business apps: CRM. ERP. Human resources. The list goes on. For a lot of essential functions that are required to run a business, on-prem has been standard operating procedure for decades. There’s little incentive to change that now.
- Power users and custom apps: For a lot of employees who rely on custom apps to complete their daily assignments (such as creative teams that use a particular kind of design software), sticking with their legacy on-prem environment is simpler than transitioning to the cloud.
At Zones, we understand that in many situations, on-prem data storage can be the perfect fit for your business’ needs. We’re always happy to meet with you, size up your environment, and help you assess whether on-prem is right for you. And if it is, we have everything it takes to build you the architecture you need – including a strong partnership with Dell Technologies, which ensures we always have access to the best possible hardware. If you have questions about on-prem, or any other aspect of the Data Center Transformation work that we do, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Zones
Zones : May 10, 2016 5:00:50 AM
