How to Decide Between On-Premises and Cloud?

Choosing between an on-premises document management System (DMS) and DocuWare Cloud involves evaluating several factors specific to your business needs, infrastructure and long-term goals. Here are some considerations to help determine when an on-premises solution may be more suitable than DocuWare Cloud:

1. Data control and security requirements:

If your organisation has strict data control and security policies, especially in industries such as finance or healthcare, an on-premises solution may offer more control over data storage and security protocols.

2. Regulatory compliance:

Certain regulations may require data to be stored on-premises or within the jurisdiction of your country. If your business is subject to such regulations, such as GDPR, Cybersecurity Law (CSL) in China or the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 in Australia, an on-premises DMS may be required to ensure compliance ex.

3. Internet connectivity and reliability:

If your business operates in an area with unreliable internet connectivity, an on-premises solution ensures uninterrupted access to your document management system.

4. Customisation and integration needs:

On-premises solutions can offer more flexibility for in-depth customisation and integration with other internal systems, which can be crucial for some businesses.

Because cloud solutions are often offered as a public cloud environment where computing resources are shared among users, some integrations, especially database integrations are more difficult to achieve. In the case of the cloud, the database is generally accessible via REST API services, whereas an on-premises solution would have a locally installed database for direct scripting to retrieve and push data. However, this is mostly in the case of highly customised workflows for specialized environments.

While a case can always be made for both solutions, the cost implications of private infrastructure would usually make the cloud case easier to justify.

One example is a regular database search to find all delivery notes that have been signed, returned and stored in DocuWare. The data needs to be updated in the accounting system, so we know when to invoice our customers or issue credit notes.

With on-premises, the database lookup can be easily achieved through simple SQL scripting. With DocuWare Cloud, you would have to use an API call or additional tool to do the lookup.

As most providers and users move to the cloud, these conversations become less important and tools like DocuWare have many built-in options to make this type of integration easier for cloud users.

5. Initial and ongoing costs:

While cloud-based solutions like DocuWare Cloud typically offer a subscription-based model that can be more cost-effective in the short term, an on-premises solution may be more economical over a longer period, especially if you have the necessary IT infrastructure and support in place.

6. Existing IT infrastructure and expertise:

If your organisation already has a robust IT infrastructure and a skilled IT team, you may be better positioned to manage and maintain an on-premises DMS effectively.

7. Long-Term data storage and access:

For long-term data storage and archiving needs where immediate access is not a priority, an on-premises solution can be more suitable.

8. Business continuity planning:

In scenarios where business continuity is critical and you need to ensure system availability even during internet outages or cloud service disruptions, an on-premises solution provides an added layer of security.

If you have any further questions, reach out to us!