Onsite Vs. Hosted Servers: Which Is Best for Your Business?
Life is full of tough choices. Coke or Pepsi? Mac or PC? Hanging the toilet paper over or under the roll? Well, if you’re a business owner, there’s another important question you should be asking yourself: should I choose a hosted server or keep my server onsite to store my data?
The answer to this life-altering question really depends on a few crucial things, including the nature of your business and your data requirements. With so many options available these days, it’s no wonder why business owners are struggling to reach a decision.
We know the struggle is real, so we’re here to help. See for yourself which solution fits your business better:
Onsite Servers:
The Power is Yours: Since your servers are on your business’s premises, you have complete physical control over your data. You can also assess your storage needs and add more whenever you see fit. It’s like when He-Man hoists his Power Sword into the air and proclaims, “…I have the power!” (by the power of Grayskull, of course). Except your Power Sword is your keyboard.
Recovery is Usually Fast – Whenever you experience a failure in your primary storage, the recovery is typically quicker when you have your servers onsite. It’s also usually fast and easy to back up a networked device if it’s onsite.
Risk of Loss is Higher – Think about it. Your valuable data is housed in one physical location. Should something happen to it – theft, tornado, someone forgetting to perform routine backups – your data is compromised and can be completely and utterly lost. Not cool.
It Can Be a Bit Pricey – You’d think that keeping your data onsite would be cheaper than having a hosted server. Your stuff’s right there in the other room, no big deal. Except that you will need a specialized technician to provide routine IT support and maintenance on your server. And you need to store it somewhere that is constantly cool. Oh, and since they will be running all the time – even afterhours or on the weekends – the costs add up in the long run.
Hosted Servers:
Redundancy, Redundancy, Redundancy – See what we did there? Well, we hope so because redundancy is super-important for businesses. It means that several backup copies of your data are available to you should disaster strike. Hosted servers have this built into their system, along with automated backup, which help eliminate human error.
Easy on the Wallet – Simple is the name of the game when it comes to hosted servers. Not only is it fast and easy to scale up any additional resources you may need on your hosted servers, but you will also find that the overall cost of your IT needs will usually decrease. This leaves more room in your budget for important things like growing your business or maybe occasional outings with your team (laser tag, anyone?).
Stable Internet Connection Required – One of the cons to having a hosted server is you will need constant Internet access. If your business has multiple locations, each location will need a stable connection as well. Otherwise you won’t have access to your data.
Recovery Could Take a While – Good news: your data can be backed up regularly automatically in a hosted server. Bad news: full data recovery could be a liiiiiittle time-consuming should a disaster occur. And we all know time is money.
If you’re still confused or are just unsure of which one is better for your business, don’t you worry. Your friends at Acropolis Technology Group are here to help. Call us at (314) 890-2208 to learn about our managed services and IT support.