Governance Across Cloud and On-Premises Environments
Welcome to our blog post about governance in cloud and on-premises environments! We've all heard about the cloud and the advantages it brings, but what about on-premises systems? Are they still relevant in today's fast-paced digital environment? In this post, we'll compare the two environments and provide you with the facts to help you decide what's best for your organization.
Governance in the Cloud
Cloud-based systems have undoubtedly changed the IT landscape. They bring agility, scalability, and convenience that traditional on-premises solutions just can't match. However, a cloud system is only as secure as its governance model.
Governance in the cloud is vital for organizations to manage their data securely. Key governance aspects include access control, data protection, and compliance management. Having robust governance mechanisms in place ensures that an organization's cloud applications meet regulatory requirements, are secure, and maintain data privacy.
A survey conducted by Flexera found that 84% of enterprises have a multicloud strategy, with 65% of workloads running in the cloud. Therefore, governance across these platforms is critical to ensure compliance across the organization.
Governance in On-Premises Environments
On-premises systems are hosted within an organization's own infrastructure. They provide greater control, and organizations can customize the solution to meet their unique needs. However, with greater control comes added responsibility, and governance becomes the cornerstone of securing data in an on-premises environment.
Governance in on-premises environments is traditionally static and governed by IT staff. In contrast, cloud governance models are more flexible, allowing for automated control and compliance management. This rigidity can slow down workflows, making it harder to be agile and change rapidly.
Comparison of the Two Environments
To provide an unbiased comparison of the two environments, we have compiled a list of pros and cons of each:
Cloud
Pros
- Scalability: Cloud systems can scale up or down, depending on the need for resources.
- Agility: Cloud technologies reduce the time and money required to launch new applications or services.
- Flexibility: Cloud solutions offer more flexibility as they can be deployed, managed, and maintained without the need for physical infrastructure.
- Automation: Governance models in cloud environments are far more automated, providing more efficient control over compliance and access.
Cons
- Ownership: Cloud environments are hosted and managed by third-party providers, making it harder to retain full control over sensitive data.
- Security: Cloud providers may not provide the same level of data protection, which can introduce compliance risks.
- Cost: Cloud models can be more costly over time, especially if the organization does not optimize its usage to minimize unneeded resources.
On-Premises
Pros
- Control: Organizations have complete control over their IT infrastructure and data, allowing for more customization.
- Compliance: On-premises systems enable greater regulatory compliance as the organization maintains complete control over governance rules.
- Security: Organizations can apply in-house policies and procedures, and security standards to ensure the safety of their data.
Cons
- Scalability: On-premises systems are limited to physical infrastructure and can be harder to scale up or down.
- Agility: On-premises systems are less flexible, making them less agile and less able to respond to changing business needs.
- Cost: On-premises systems require capital expenses, which can create significant infrastructure and maintenance costs for the organization.
Conclusion
In conclusion, governance is essential across both cloud and on-premises environments. Cloud-based governance models offer increased automation, efficiency, and better access control; however, data ownership can be harder to maintain, and compliance risks may exist. On-premises governance provides more control, better data protection, and greater regulatory compliance but can be costly, inflexible and limited in scalability.
We hope this post provided useful information to help you decide which environment is best for your organization.