Cloud 101: Going Serverless March 28, 2024 – Posted in: Cloud Computing, IT Support – Tags: , , , , , ,

For some businesses cloud solutions mean you don’t need an on-premises server at all – you could go completely serverless. This can provide a significant saving on hardware, software and maintenance, as well as making working from outside the office easier.

Cloud-based Solutions Are:

  • Less costly up-front.
  • Easy to access. Manage and use from anywhere you’ve set permissions to access from.
  • Flexible. If you get a sudden increase or decrease you can just pick up new licenses, or drop them at the next renewal.
  • Monitorable. Microsoft 365 has a lot of built-in management and monitoring features.
  • Better for business continuity. If something happens at your office, staff can be set up quickly and easily at an alternative site or to work from home. With OneDrive you can even get files saved on the local machine back if something happens to a PC.

Cloud-based Solutions Are Also:

  • More expensive on a monthly basis for licensing costs.
  • Outside of your business premises.
  • Only accessible where there is an internet connection, some requiring a fast connection.

Vendor Lock In

Vendor lock in is an often raised point when it comes to cloud solutions, and to some degree it’s a concern. If you’re in a Microsoft 365 environment Microsoft can put up license costs or make changes to how the system works and there isn’t a lot you can do about it.

Unfortunately, it isn’t so different for on-premises solutions. If you’re using Microsoft Exchange on-premises solution you are as vulnerable to the whims of Microsoft changing how things work, with the additional threat of them declaring things end-of-life.

To some degree you’re safer in the cloud with a serverless solution. Microsoft are highly unlikely to suddenly decide that Outlook won’t talk to Microsoft 365, or that they will no longer provide security updates for their cloud solution. However, on-premises Exchange software will go end-of-life in time and will no longer work with Outlook or receive security updates.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that cloud is what Microsoft wants you to do. That isn’t a good enough reason on its own, but the fact that Microsoft put more R&D and support effort into the cloud solution is starting to show. It’s getting buggier and less predictable to access on-premises emails on a mobile phone, and some products are only available with a cloud license. Microsoft Teams is a key piece of software that requires a cloud license to fully access. Whilst you can have a cloud account for Teams and use on-premises email that setup will mean you cannot sync your Teams and Outlook calendars, and you are likely to face a lot of issues getting your emails to work on a mobile phone.

Will Your Apps Work in the Cloud

A key item to consider when reviewing how much to put in the cloud is what apps you are using. You might be able to host emails, files and authentication with 365, but if you are using apps like Sage that need a server to run you’ll need to either move to a different, cloud-based solution – or you’ll need to keep some sort of on-premises server.

Whether any cloud services are right for your business, combined with an on-premises server or completely serverless, will depend on your needs. If you’d like help reviewing the options available and the likely costs of each option give us a call on 01245 265 100 or email ">.

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