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On-Premises Definition

What does On-Premises mean?

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On-premises or "On-Prem" traditionally referred to IT infrastructure hosted and managed within an organization’s physical facilities, such as in dedicated server rooms or data centers. This term originally applied to systems where the organization owned and operated the physical servers and networking equipment on-site. However, the definition has evolved to include scenarios where an organization manages IT resources within their own cloud accounts, even if these resources are hosted on external platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP. In both cases, the key distinction is that the end user maintains direct control over the environment.

Benefits of On-Premises

On-premises solutions give businesses greater authority over performance, security, and maintenance, whether managing resources in their own buildings or within a self-managed cloud account. This approach contrasts with public cloud services, where infrastructure is entirely managed by the cloud provider.

While many traditional setups still operate fully on-premises, there has been a shift toward cloud adoption or hybrid models that combine on-premises and cloud-based systems. Organizations often favor on-premises solutions to host self-managed software, whether physical or cloud-based—for compliance purposes, particularly when single-tenancy or strict data control is required.

Why choose On-Premises?

For businesses with specific operational needs or who have strict deployment requirements, an on-premises setup, whether physical or virtualized in a self-managed cloud, offers the requisite control and the ability to customize environments. On-premises environments be it in the cloud or physically on-site, excel in providing businesses with oversight and tailored configurations.

On-Premise vs On-Premises

The term "on-premises" is correct because it refers to something that is located on the premises—that is, on the physical property or site (like a data center or office building). The term "on-premise" is incorrect and often mistakenly used in place of "on-premises."

Do you still think that offering on-premises installations is hard?

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