In a world full of natural disasters, computer viruses and human error, it’s crucial to protect your intranet data. You need to have a reliable method of hosting your Intranet site data and backups. Just last year (during the storms in Florida) a popular casino application was down for hours. What they learned was that it was risky hosting and storing their most important information in an area prone to hurricanes and other natural disasters. Soon after the loss, they switched to off-site hosting/backup to mitigate the chances of another such type of loss.
There are several benefits to hosting your intranet site in the Cloud as opposed to On-Premise, as we explored in a previous blog.
However, it’s important to review other reasons why hosting your intranet off-site is beneficial. Ensuring your systems are safe and secure and that your backups are protected from different physical forces.
Benefits of Off-Site Hosting
It’s first important to note that it’s crowded to store your own servers, on-site. They require a lot of space in your office to store. On top of protecting against natural disasters, using an Off-Site Data Centre also provides Fire Protection that most On-Site Centers have not implemented. One manufacturing client had a fire break out in their kitchen which led to an explosion in the plant and resulted in a total loss of the data center.
It can also be lower expenses by reducing energy and IT costs. You are not using your own resources to set up, maintain or repair the servers. It also makes your data more mobile, and able to access or recover from anywhere. This makes it easier to address issues even when you are outside of your network. Eliminating tape backups also helps reduce unnecessary costs that can be spread to other needs in the organization.
Off-Site centres are also very reliable. They provide automated daily backups and no hassle to the client. You are able to reduce your down time and lost productivity by being able to instantly recover your data.
On-Site Data Hosting requires more resources from IT, your real estate, energy and can be very expensive. While one of the only cons of Off-Site hosting is the fear of the unknown. This is understandable considering the amount of private and sensitive information that is typically shared in company Intranets. Which is often the repository for all your HR information and policies. However, once you review the benefits of hosting Off-Site, you will see that it’s easier, cheaper and keeps your data even more protected.
What to choose?
There are still many variables when deciding on a hosting method for your intranet. From costs, to security to customizations. Ultimately, it’s important to review all pros and cons for each hosting method. Then review and consider which one would best fit your business needs.
Let us guide you through this step by contacting us with your questions or by scheduling a Live Demonstration to discuss with one of our Intranet Experts!