Posted on 24th July 2024
Cloud Hosting versus On-Premise – How can Microsoft Azure Enhance Your Finance Systems
Hosting solutions in the cloud is a proven way of taking away the ‘pain’ of supporting IT and reducing the risks and costs associated with running a complex IT ecosystem.
Finance departments are under increasing pressure to reach their digital transformation objectives whilst delivering the day to day demands of their department in a timely and accurate manner.
Traditional on-premise finance systems will struggle in the medium to longer to term to keep pace with the demands of the industry and modern economy and leave those department without a cloud solution susceptible to future costs and inefficiencies.
This is where On Cloud Hosting solutions like Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform, can help your organisation prepare your business for tomorrow’s challenges and help you reach your digital transformation goals.
Move your Integra application to the cloud with us. By moving your Integra application into the Cloud, you benefit from a fully managed and hosted cloud service that eases your IT burden and frees your resources to focus on critical operational activities.
What is Cloud Hosting?
Cloud hosting means making your internal systems accessible online. This is done using a network of interconnected servers – the ‘cloud’ – which can be quickly scaled up or down to meet changing needs.
One major cloud hosting provider is Microsoft Azure. You’ve probably heard of it without realising how it affects your daily life. Azure offers a wide range of services for businesses and claims to be the most adaptable hybrid cloud solution with superior developer tools and strong security.
What is On-Premise?
On-premise refers to hardware and software that is physically located on your own site. This could be within your own building or within your immediate reach.
Examples of on-premise systems:
- Servers
- Storage devices: Hard drives, tape drives, and other devices used to store data.
- Software applications: Programs installed on your local computers or servers.
- Networks: Internal communication systems
The Challenges of On-Premise Finance Systems
Traditionally, finance systems have been housed on-premise, usually hosted on software that is located on a nearby PC or server for the team to internally access. This model is often fraught with high upfront costs, ongoing maintenance expenses, and the risk of system downtime due to technical issues.
Additionally, hardware has to be continually upgraded and managed by an external IT company which makes scaling and future proofing your finance system ecosystem more costly.
Security is another major concern with an on-premise system. Protecting sensitive financial data from cyber threats requires constant review of your own internal systems and investment in extensive security measures and protocols.
Azure: A Cloud Solution for Finance
Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform for Integra offers a natural progression to on-premise finance systems.
Microsoft Azure Hosting can help Integra Centros users benefit through:
- System Reliability: Microsoft Azure guarantees a higher availability via redundancy and failover mechanisms than any on premise system. Rather than relying on your IT department to look after multiple on premise machines, Microsoft Azure takes care of the underlying infrastructure and updates. In addition, Microsoft Azure guarantees an up time of 99.5% of the time. Azure's cloud-based infrastructure also offers automated and scalable backup capabilities and ensures the consistent safeguarding of your critical data. This is actioned through the remote and geographically dispersal of its data centres. This reduces the risk of data loss due to physical disasters or localised disruptions.
- Future Proofing Your Systems: Unlike traditional on-premise systems that require costly hardware replacements, Azure is continually updated with the latest technologies, ensuring your systems remain efficient and compatible.
- Proactive Threat Protection: Azure's automated management of hardware maintenance, software updates, and security patches significantly reduces the risk of vulnerabilities in your finance systems.
- Reduced Cost: By entrusting system management to qualified experts, you eliminate the overhead associated with running and maintaining an on-premise infrastructure. Additionally, Azure's ability to scale resources based on demand prevents overspending and maximises your cost-efficiency.
Why host with IBSS?
IBSS possesses a unique positioning to implement a hosting architecture that optimises the performance, security, stability, and scalability of the Integra eSeries Framework. We utilise best practices in hosting architecture to generate superior results for your department.
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we possess a deep understanding of and commitment to Microsoft technologies.
With a proven track record of hosting systems for national, local government, and healthcare organisations across the UK and Ireland, and backed by ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 accreditations, IBSS is a trusted partner. Our dedicated Platform Services team provides ongoing monitoring and maintenance for all Azure clients.
Contact our team today to discuss your Cloud Hosting requirements: https://www.ibsoftwaresolutions.com/contact
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