Deciding whether to have a company’s infrastructure on-premises (on-prem) or on the cloud is a critical decision that depends on several factors. To make an informed choice, consider the following aspects:

1. Cost: Compare the total cost of ownership (TCO) for both options, factoring in expenses such as hardware, software, maintenance, support, and upgrades. Cloud services typically have a pay-as-you-go model, while on-prem infrastructure has upfront capital costs and ongoing maintenance expenses.
2. Scalability: Cloud services provide better flexibility and scalability, allowing you to quickly adjust your infrastructure resources based on demand. On-prem infrastructure typically requires more planning and investment to scale up or down.
3. Performance: Evaluate the performance requirements of your applications and services. Cloud providers often have distributed data centers, which can reduce latency for users in different geographic locations. However, certain high-performance applications may require dedicated on-prem hardware.
4. Security and compliance: Assess your industry’s regulatory and compliance requirements. Some industries may have strict data security or data sovereignty rules that require on-prem solutions. However, cloud providers often offer robust security features and can help meet specific compliance requirements.
5. Control and customization: On-prem infrastructure offers more control over hardware and software configurations, allowing you to tailor your environment to your needs. With cloud services, you may be limited to the provider’s configurations and options.
6. Data storage and transfer: Consider the volume of data you handle and the costs associated with transferring and storing it. On-prem storage might be more cost-effective for certain use cases, while cloud storage can offer more flexibility and redundancy.
7. Business continuity and disaster recovery: Cloud providers typically offer better disaster recovery and backup options, with data stored in multiple locations. On-prem infrastructure may require additional investment to achieve similar levels of redundancy and protection.
8. In-house expertise: Assess your organization’s technical capabilities. Managing on-prem infrastructure requires skilled IT staff, while cloud services can offload some of the management burden to the provider.
9. Vendor lock-in: Be cautious of potential vendor lock-in with cloud providers. On-prem solutions offer more freedom to choose different vendors or switch providers, while transitioning between cloud providers may be more complex.
10. Long-term strategy: Consider your company’s long-term goals and growth plans. If you anticipate rapid growth, the flexibility and scalability of the cloud may be more suitable. If stability and control are more important, on-prem infrastructure may be a better fit.

Evaluate these factors in the context of your organization’s specific needs and priorities, and consult with stakeholders and IT experts to make an informed decision.