Cloud vs. on-premise - When choosing the right digital asset management system, you are inevitably faced with the question where to store the important company data. Do you choose an on-premise solution and store everything on your own servers or do you prefer a cloud provider who, for example, takes care of server maintenance? In this article we will give you 4 good reasons why you benefit from a DAM on-premise solution. In addition, at the end of the text we reveal a widespread myth of on-premise solutions.

In formerly, local use of software was the norm, but today cloud solutions are increasingly being deployed. Even though it is often said that cloud is the future, there are a number of reasons for an on-premise use of a digital asset management solution, especially in these uncertain times.

1. DAM system on-premise is safe

The biggest advantage of an on-premise solution is that your company retains full control over its own data. Especially if your company has high IT security requirements, an on-premise digital asset management solution is the right choice. Sensitive data never leaves your own secure system and cannot accidentally get into the hands of third parties. Your company secrets remain protected and you do not lose your technological edge. But you are also in charge of protecting them. With a cloud-based solution you are always dependent on the cloud provider. In this case, you are also responsible for the security of your data and must trust the provider that they handle your data conscientiously. For example, the security requirements of American and German providers differ significantly: Only a provider based in Germany manages your data in accordance with German data protection laws, whereas the American laws apply to all american providers for example AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform. In some cases, these laws even allow US authorities to access data, even if their servers are located outside the USA. You always should take such factors into account when deciding whether to choose cloud or on-premise digital asset management.

2. Digital asset management on-premise is fast

To use a cloud-based digital asset management system, you always need a good Internet connection for fast access to all data. In the local network of the on-premise solution, data transfer is independent of the Internet connection and is therefore usually faster. Especially if you have many large files in multiple versions and frequent changes are made to these assets, you and your employees will benefit from the faster on-premise solution. On-Prem, you don't need to constantly transfer large files back and forth. Furthermore, it is also possible to set up on-premise digital asset management solutions in such a way that the data can also be accessed securely over the Internet from outside. External user groups such as authorized agencies or employees working from home can also access the digital assets without any problems, for example via a web browser.

3. On-premise DAM-solution provides full control

With an on-premise solution, you decide when (and if) you want to perform system updates. You decide which updates and upgrades should be installed and at what time. You can also set up a staging system to perform tests here before transferring changes to the production system. With a cloud-based DAM system you will be informed by the provider that updates will be installed within a certain maintenance window.

4. On-Premise DAM uses existing IT infrastructure 

What hardware investments have you already made? Do you have enough IT staff to take care of maintaining your servers and DAM software? In contrast to using a cloud solution via an external provider, an on-prem solution relies on your local resources. However, if you are well-positioned in your IT infrastructure, this can be another reason for an on-premise solution where you always have full control over the system and your data.

Did you already know? On-premise does not automatically mean expensive purchase licenses and no flexibility - at least not with the cavok DAM system.

The simple licensing model of the cavok digital asset management system allows you to choose whether you want to buy the DAM system or rent it as a subscription model. With the cavok subscription model you benefit from an advantage that is often attributed to cloud solutions. If your IT infrastructure is well equipped, you do not need to make any one-off investments to get the DAM system up and running.

Once you have made the decision whether to rent or buy, you decide where you want to store your data with cavok: on your own servers, hosted by us at a secure German data center or with your service provider. Regardless of the storage location, with the subscription model as well as with the purchase license and the additional software update contract you always receive the current system version of the cavok digital asset management system. All features and functions are already included in the smallest license size and additional mandates and users can be flexibly added as required.

Also for Paul Lange & Co. OHG, the purchasing decision depended, among other things, on the possibility of hosting Cavok on the company's internal server. For more information, read our blog post Cavok in E-commerce: Perfect resource management for bicycle component provider.

Maintain control over your own data and take advantage of the on-premise benefits for your DAM solution with cavok. We will be glad to advise you on finding the right license solution for your DAM system.

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