Question 1

Is cloud or on-premise cheaper in the long run?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your situation. For businesses with up to 50 employees, the cloud is almost always more cost-effective once you count every cost: hardware, licences, power, cooling, IT staff and replacement every 5 years. For larger organisations with predictable usage, on-premise can work out cheaper. TRON Group is happy to produce a TCO calculation for your specific situation.

Question 2

Is the cloud secure enough for my business data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Major cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure and AWS invest billions in security and hold ISO 27001, SOC 2 and NEN 7510 certifications. Their security is almost always better than what an average SME can achieve on its own. It is a shared responsibility, though: the provider secures the infrastructure, while you are responsible for your data and access policies.

Question 3

How does GDPR compliance work in the cloud?

Accepted Answer

All major cloud providers offer EU data centres, and Microsoft Azure has data centres in the Netherlands (the West Europe region). Configured correctly, your data never leaves the EU. Data processing agreements are available as standard, and specific sectors such as healthcare and government have additional compliance options. TRON Group helps you get the configuration right.

Question 4

Can I use a hybrid cloud solution?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. For many businesses, a hybrid cloud is the ideal solution. You keep sensitive data and latency-critical applications on-premise, while using the cloud for scalability, backups and collaboration. Microsoft Azure Arc and AWS Outposts make hybrid setups easier than ever. TRON Group designs and implements hybrid architectures.

Question 5

How does a migration to the cloud work?

Accepted Answer

A cloud migration runs in phases: inventory, planning, a test migration and the production migration. It typically takes 4-12 weeks, depending on complexity. We migrate servers, data, applications and email with minimal downtime. TRON Group has extensive experience with cloud migrations for Dutch SMEs.

Question 6

What are the performance differences between cloud and on-premise?

Accepted Answer

For most business applications, the cloud performs excellently. Latency-sensitive applications (such as CAD/CAM, video editing and real-time databases) can perform better on local hardware. Your internet connection is a factor: with fibre, cloud performance is comparable to on-premise. For the best of both worlds, we recommend a hybrid setup.

Question 7

Who is responsible for maintenance?

Accepted Answer

In the cloud, the provider manages the physical hardware, the network and the core infrastructure. You (or your IT partner) manage the configuration, users and applications. With on-premise, you are responsible for everything, from hardware maintenance to software updates. TRON Group manages both scenarios through our managed services.

Category	Cloud	On-Premise
Upfront costs	Cloud No large upfront investment; pay as you go (OpEx model)	On-Premise High purchase costs for hardware, licences and implementation (CapEx)
Monthly costs	Cloud Recurring subscription costs, which can add up with heavy resource use	On-Premise Lower monthly costs once the investment is made, but power and maintenance still apply
Scalability	Cloud Scale up or down instantly, with resources available within minutes	On-Premise Scalability limited to available hardware, with lead times of weeks
Security	Cloud Enterprise-grade security from Microsoft/AWS, under a shared responsibility model	On-Premise Full control and your own security policy, but the responsibility is yours too
Compliance (GDPR)	Cloud EU data centres available, plus the providers' compliance certifications	On-Premise Data stays under your own management, with full control over where it is stored
Disaster Recovery	Cloud Built-in redundancy, geo-replication and automatic backups	On-Premise Needs a separate DR solution, extra investment and a second location
Remote Access	Cloud Access from anywhere over the internet, ideal for hybrid working	On-Premise Requires VPN or remote desktop, plus extra configuration
Maintenance	Cloud The provider manages hardware and updates, so you need fewer IT staff	On-Premise You are responsible for updates, patches and hardware replacement

Cloud vs On-Premise

Key Takeaways

Cloud or your own server: which suits your business?

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Cost Comparison

Small (5-15 users)

Medium (15-50 users)

Large (50+ users)

Hybrid cloud: the best of both worlds

Our Recommendation

Choose Cloud if:

Choose On-Premise if:

Frequently Asked Questions

Cloud or on-premise? We'll help you choose.