Both cloud and on-premise video conferencing have advantages and disadvantages, and your specific needs heavily impact on which model would fit your business. In general, on premises deployment is better for organizations that need a high level of data security, while clouds are fir for startups and organizations with low budget and high expectations of fast scaling up
The time to choose the right video conferencing technology for your organization has come along, and you cannot decide between cloud and on-premises deployment. Undoubtedly, it is not an easy choice, as these technologies are not a fit for every kind of business. Therefore, it is important to understand what they both can offer before purchasing.
Cloud video conferencing means fast scaling up and low initial budget
Clouds are great options for small organizations with low budgets that expect to grow fast, as scaling up is very easy and convenient in this deployment model. Additionally, server providers have got able to offer video conferencing services that are comparable in terms of quality to on-premises, thank s to the combination of inexpensive bandwidth and last year storage advancements.
One disadvantage of cloud is the limited number of simultaneous users for each call, usually 25 -50. This could create an issue for some kinds of businesses. Consider that an on premises server based technology like R-HUB`s TurboMeeting (http://www.rhubcom.com) allow you to host much more guests per call, up to 3000.
Another tricky aspect of clouds is data safety. Clouds are necessarily managed by third parties, and the risk that unauthorized people can have access to your most private data is real. Then, it is important to carefully check the data security protocol of your provider.
On premise video conferencing means full control and more power
The great advantage of this deployment model is that everything is under your control. No process is then passed to third parties, which enables the top level of data security. This technology is then particularly fit for risk-adverse organizations like governments or financial institutions.
Another advantage is that on premise servers are more powerful and allow much more simultaneous users than clouds. This is important when the times come along to give webinars, for example, an event that could have a potentially unlimited number of attendants.
The disadvantages of on premises deployment are its costs which are higher than cloud based solutions. However, today’s web conferencing solutions have brilliantly addressed these issues. Coming back to our previous example, TurboMeeting servers are fully plug and play devices that are remotely maintained and updated by the manufacturer.
As an effect, you do not need to hire any devote IT team any more. The price of a server of this suite does not exceed 2000/2500$ depending on the model, and R-HUB`s flat license policy allows you to add as many participants as you wish to any call without paying extra money for additional licenses.
In conclusion, both deployment forms assure you the best in terms of HD video quality and cost-effectiveness today. Yet, on premises server based solutions guarantee a higher data safety.