Where to run things.
WHAT CLOUD SERVICES PROVIDE
No hardware to buy or maintain Updates applied automatically Capacity available immediately Access from anywhere
WHAT THEY COST
Ongoing subscription rather than capital purchase Dependence on connectivity Data held by the provider Foreign-currency billing
WHY CONNECTIVITY MATTERS PARTICULARLY HERE
Cloud productivity requires a working connection for much of its function.
WHAT ON-PREMISES PROVIDES
Operation without external connectivity Data held locally Control over timing of changes
WHAT IT COSTS
Hardware, power and cooling Maintenance and patching Backup and disaster recovery Expertise to operate it
WHAT HYBRID MEANS
Some services local, some cloud, with identity synchronised between them.
WHAT THAT SUITS
Organisations with existing infrastructure moving gradually Workloads that cannot move
WHAT TO ESTABLISH FIRST
What your connectivity actually supports
What your budget model is: capital or recurring
What obligations apply to your data
WHAT TO PLAN
The identity arrangement, before anything else.
