Cloud vs On-Prem: What's Best for Financial Institutions?
Choosing between a cloud-hosted and on-premise intranet comes down to balancing flexibility, control, and compliance. This guide breaks down the differences to help banks and credit unions make an informed decision - whether you're migrating from legacy tools or launching a new platform.
Cloud-Hosted Intranets
Cloud-based intranet solutions are a popular choice for credit unions and smaller banks, especially those with lean IT teams or remote branches.
- Fast deployment with no hardware to maintain
- Accessible from anywhere with secure login
- Automatic updates and offsite backups
- Lower up-front costs and faster onboarding
Learn more on our Cloud Intranet Software page.
On-Premise Intranets
For institutions with strict internal policies or legacy systems, an on-prem deployment can offer the control and environment isolation required by internal audit or security teams.
- Complete control over environment and data
- Preferred by some IT and compliance teams
- Can function offline in secure internal networks
- Supports deeper integration with legacy systems
Explore more at On-Premise Intranet Software.
Self-Hosted and Hybrid Options
Some institutions prefer a hybrid model - self-hosted on their own cloud server or a dedicated VM. This approach blends the flexibility of the cloud with the control of an on-prem setup.
- Can be deployed in Azure, AWS, or private cloud
- More flexible than traditional on-prem
- Still provides full data ownership
Learn more at Self-Hosted Intranet Software.
Common Questions
Is cloud or on-prem better for compliance?
Both can meet compliance needs when properly configured. On-prem gives you more control, but cloud options (especially private cloud) now include strong encryption, MFA, audit trails, and retention features tailored for financial institutions.
Can we move from cloud to on-prem later (or vice versa)?
Yes. Some institutions start with a cloud deployment for speed, then shift on-premise later. SimplifyIT supports both options, including hybrid models.
Does SimplifyIT offer hybrid hosting?
Absolutely. Many institutions choose to self-host SimplifyIT in their own secure cloud instance - getting the benefits of both worlds.
How do updates work in each model?
In the cloud, updates happen automatically. For on-premise or hybrid deployments, updates can be applied any time by someone on your IT team based on your internal schedule and change management process.
