Why Businesses Move from On-Premise to Cloud
‘On-premise’ means running your own servers in your own building or a rented rack. It served businesses well for decades, but more and more are moving to the cloud — and for good, practical reasons.
This article sets out the most common drivers we hear from clients, so you can judge whether they apply to you.
The Usual Motivations
- Ageing hardware: avoiding a large, lumpy bill to replace servers.
- Unpredictable demand: handling busy periods without over-buying.
- Resilience: reducing the risk of a single office fault taking systems offline.
- Remote work: giving staff secure access from anywhere.
From Capital to Operating Cost
On-premise usually means a big purchase every few years. Cloud turns that into a monthly operating cost that tracks usage. For many finance teams this is easier to plan around and frees up capital for other priorities.
It Is Not Always the Answer
A handful of workloads — very steady, very predictable, or tied to specialist hardware — can still be cheaper on-premise. We assess each case rather than assuming the cloud always wins.
| Factor | On-premise | Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | High, lumpy | Low, pay monthly |
| Scaling | Buy ahead of need | Adjust on demand |
| Maintenance | Your responsibility | Largely the provider's |
| Remote access | Often harder | Built in |
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.