Should you move to the cloud or keep your infrastructure on‑premises? The answer depends on your specific business needs. Here’s a framework to guide your decision.
Total cost of ownership (TCO)
On‑prem requires upfront hardware investment, plus ongoing costs for power, cooling, maintenance, and staff. Cloud shifts these costs to operational expense. For many businesses, cloud TCO is 30–50% lower over five years.
Scalability
If your workload varies seasonally or you expect rapid growth, cloud wins. You can scale up in minutes and down when not needed. On‑prem requires buying hardware months in advance.
Compliance and data residency
Some industries require data to stay on‑premises or in specific jurisdictions. Cloud providers now offer region‑specific data centres and compliance certifications, but on‑prem gives you full physical control.
Disaster recovery
Cloud makes disaster recovery easier and cheaper. You can replicate data across regions without building a secondary data centre. On‑prem DR is often complex and expensive.
Still unsure? JPW TECH offers cloud readiness assessments to help you make an informed decision. Contact us to learn more.