Email Archiving Solution: On-Premise or Cloud?
There are many cloud solutions available on the market, such as private cloud, enterprise cloud, and business cloud. As a result, it can be quite tricky to select a suitable archiving solution for their business email. Cloud-based email archiving has become more popular recently because of its hands-
off approach, not to mention its stability, efficiency, and productivity. However, on-premise email archiving solutions are also popular with many organizations. The primary purpose of adopting these methods is to fulfil your unique business requirements.
This article discusses the difference between on-premise and cloud-based email archiving and what steps should you take to choose the best solution.
Differences between On-Premise vs. Cloud-Based Email Archiving
An on-premise email archiving solution is also called a self-contained appliance. This appliance is a physical machine that captures a copy of all emails sent through a mail server and stores them in a well-organized database, usually located on the same machine or on a physical server elsewhere on the companies network.
The device maintains an indexed database to ensure the emails are easily searchable and accessible.
A cloud-based email archiving system also performs the same functions, but, rather than saving the data to an on-premise physical server, it is stored in a safe and secure cloud environment.
There are two main factors to consider when choosing a suitable email archiving solution for your company:
1. Current IT Infrastructure
The type and size of your company greatly affect the quality and overall structure of your IT department.
For example, a newly-established company and small businesses are likely to have few if any dedicated IT staff and, as a result, mainly depend on outsourcing to third-party IT management companies. On the other hand, large companies have dedicated IT departments with massive resources to get state-of-the-art technology.
This means that large-scale organizations have the required skills, knowledge, expertise, and resources needed to maintain on-premise email archiving solutions. Whereas small and medium companies can greatly benefit from using enterprise private cloud services for email archiving.
2. Role of Cloud Computing
Many companies are still actively resisting the rising popularity of cloud computing in businesses for a variety of reasons, with many citing concerns about data security.
These companies are unlikely to use business or private clouds for email archiving. However, a company with a history of using cloud technology is more likely to use an enterprise cloud solution for email archiving.
Once you have considered the factors above, you should next evaluate your requirements in terms of storage, budget, management, and overall feasibility of the solution.
Storage
First, you should be familiar with your current storage needs and expectations for future storage requirements.
You should also consider that on-premise archiving solutions often provide a limited amount of storage and that adding more will likely involve adding or upgrading the physical hardware, which means additional upfront costs.
On the other hand, many business and enterprise private cloud solutions provide unlimited storage for a fixed monthly fee.
Budget
Cloud-based email archiving is considered an operating expense as organizations pay a fixed amount each month and do not see any significant upfront costs or initial investment.
On-premise email archiving has much higher startup costs because you will have to buy IT infrastructure and properly install it in your organization.
Management
The management of your email archiving solution is highly dependent on the setup of your IT infrastructure. Generally, on-premise email archiving is an in-house solution and requires staff with the skills to manage it. This can mean hiring new employees or training your current employees.
On the other hand, managed private cloud service providers already have a team of skillful, qualified, and experienced individuals to look after your emails, so you do not have to worry about hiring or training anyone.
The Bottom Line
These are some of the differences between on-premise and cloud-based email archiving solutions. Ultimately, the best solution is the one that best suits your business requirements and overall working culture.
By carefully evaluating the factors discussed above, you can come to the right conclusion and select the appropriate email archiving solution for your company.