The basis of every IT is an intact IT infrastructure. This also applies to the IT infrastructure in the cloud. But is this the future?
Share data regardless of location
The company of the future will naturally share data regardless of location, person or end device. But does the trend towards cloud services also mean the end of the company’s own server structure? Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, the development of the last few years from a traditional to an increasingly cloud-based IT infrastructure can raise many questions. Which solution makes the most sense for you and your company depends above all on your requirements.
Traditional IT Infrastructure vs. Cloud Computing
The decision between a traditional server structure and the use of a cloud-based solution is similar to the decision between your own office building and a rented workstation – also with regard to the advantages and disadvantages of both solutions. In your own office building you have higher initial and ongoing investment costs, but also absolute control over all decisions and changes. A rented workstation is cheaper and less complicated to exchange for another workstation (e.g. a larger or smaller room). In addition, however, you are always dependent on your landlord. Transferred to your IT infrastructure, the two points of cost and control also stand in opposition to each other.
Advantages and disadvantages of the IT infrastructure in the cloud
A traditional IT infrastructure is built on its own servers, which are also located directly on site and thus offer immediate control. With your own servers, you retain full data sovereignty at all times. However, the maintenance and support of these servers also requires qualified IT staff. With cloud computing, companies do not invest in their own servers, but rent storage capacity, computing power and software from external providers. With this form of outsourcing, you can not only save costs for hardware and software as well as personnel resources in installation and maintenance, but also scale capacities faster in most cases. The IT infrastructure in the cloud remains highly flexible and can be adapted to new requirements at any time. However, in order to guarantee data protection, you should choose your provider carefully – local legislation applies depending on the location of the servers. TeamDrive’s servers are located in Germany, which guarantees DSGVO-compliant use of the cloud. In addition, the use of TeamDrive in the company can safely and easily replace the shadow IT of Dropbox, WhatsApp and other solutions.
Hybrid solutions: The ideal middle course
In view of the changes in our everyday working lives and the demand for fast and uncomplicated data exchange between people and locations, even small and medium-sized companies will not be able to do without solutions that reflect the advantages of Cloud Services & Co. in the future. According to studies, up to 40 percent of employees in companies without comprehensive solutions make use of private Sync & Fileshare services – and thus represent a security gap that should not be underestimated and which the company must close. This does not necessarily have to be an “either-or decision”.
In the balancing act between high flexibility and high data protection, a hybrid solution has established itself especially for medium-sized businesses. Self-hosted servers in their own computer centre are combined with a cloud-based solution. This has the particular advantage that you can decide for yourself at any time which data should be stored at which location. With TeamDrive, for example, you can define a storage location for each folder in the file system (“space”). With end-to-end encryption, TeamDrive naturally ensures compliance with all compliance requirements in this hybrid architecture.
