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On-premises services and infrastructure and cloud-based services and infrastructure are the two most popular ways to share and store files. As more businesses move to the cloud, 54% still use on-premises technology to store and distribute files. The best option will depend on the needs of your business and how you manage data protection.
Why use file saving and sharing on-premises?
On-premises data centers store and share files using the hardware at your company's address. The company owns these on-site, in-house tools and makes them available to its internal end users through a local network. Your IT staff is responsible for buying, building, and handling tools.
Creating a safety system to protect your goods and network is also part of this. Because the data center is directly tied to the local network, IT teams can ensure that only allowed users and devices can view and share files. Here are some reasons why a business could think about on-premises file-sharing solutions:
● Access when you're not online. On-premises options don't need an internet connection because files are shared through the business network. This means that slow links and power outages won't stop the computer from being used.
● Security. About half of IT decision-makers who store and share files on-premises instead of in the cloud do so to protect important data. You have full control over security measures, like how, when, and why a user can access the network or gear.
● Regulatory compliance. Organizations that deal with private data have to follow different rules about how the data can be viewed, used, and kept. On-premises options can meet certain security needs that a solution in the cloud might not be able to.
Problems with on-premises file-sharing methods
Even though using an on-premises option to share and store files has a lot of pros, it also has some cons. Among them are:
● File access and movement
● Security issues
● Price and ability to grow
File access and movement
One major problem became clear: how easy it was to get. Because the scattered workforce can't access files, on-premises data centers require a physical link to the company network.
When stay-at-home orders were first given out in March 2020, companies didn't have much time to figure out how to change their networks so that people could work from home. This greatly affected business stability as many companies moved to the cloud. For instance:
● At first, hacking went up by 300%. This was mostly because people were doing risky things like using personal devices and insecure networks to access company files.
● As businesses use more cloud technology than they can handle, remote workers have trouble connecting. For example, some users wouldn't be able to connect to the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) if there weren't enough rights for all of them.
● Problems with the firewall also made it hard to share files remotely. This is because online Desktop Protocol (RDP) tools, which are used for online access, are banned by many public networks and business defenses.
55% of companies worldwide now offer flexible or mixed work. To meet the requirements of a changing workforce, businesses need to allow digital access for file sharing outside of the office. Most of the time, this needs a third-party option like VDI). VDI is a technology for virtualization that lets end users access virtual computers and apps over a network. This lets workers who work away from the office use the operating system and its apps as if they were running locally.
Security issues
When it comes to on-premises options, security is a double-edged sword. Even though organizations have more control over the network and physical infrastructure, workers spend important work time loading updates, making data backups, and managing the computers.
Due to a lack of safety experts worldwide, many companies can't find enough people to work on their IT teams. According to the 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, staff gaps greatly affect data protection. Respondents to the survey said that not having enough IT people led to the following problems:
● Misconfigurations of systems
● Risk assessment and control that isn't good enough
● Patching a system takes time.
● Mistakes in the process and method
● less knowledge of danger to networks
● deploying too quickly
Cost and ability to grow
● Another problem with on-premises file-sharing options is that they are more expensive in the long run. A big data center can cost a company between $10 million and $25 million annually. On-premises options require complicated and expensive gear, which makes it hard to scale as data needs grow.
● On-premises options for sharing files have a set number of available resources. Companies have to buy more computers if they need more tools. At the corporate level, these hard drives can cost thousands of dollars. If the need for resources goes down, the extra storage space won't be used.
● Many groups no longer build new data center facilities to save money. 62% of companies, on the other hand, plan to increase rack density to meet resource needs. Increasing the number of racks gives the on-premises data center a greater computing capacity without taking up more room.
Secure your file sharing more
Whether your solutions are locally or in the cloud, you must keep your data safe from loss and access by people who shouldn't have it. Since files are shared between the computer and the device of the end user, they can be attacked. With an on-premises system, files are only shared with people on the business network. With shadow IT, however, workers could bring in risks.
Shadow IT is when a company doesn't own the tools being used. Most workers (80%) say they've used methods that weren't allowed. With this option, your IT team can change almost everything about how files are transmitted and saved. This makes setting up and following rules about file sharing, backups, and security simple.