On-Prem to Cloud: A Guide to Choosing the Right Model & Provider

30 Oct 2025, by Micron21

The shift towards cloud and data centre-hosted services is not a new trend, but it's one that continues to accelerate. For years, the standard approach to IT infrastructure was to keep everything on-premises. This meant physical servers humming away in a local server room, often managed by an internal IT team or a third-party IT company. This gave organisations complete control over their hardware.

While it's now common for businesses to have at least some of their infrastructure in the cloud, many still operate with locally hosted, or "on-prem," IT.

Back in 2021, we published an article exploring why more businesses were moving to the cloud. That piece focused on the initial step many organisations take: moving physical hardware from their own offices into a dedicated data centre. We highlighted the benefits of this transition, such as improved security and reliability, and how to connect to those systems securely once migrated.

In this article, we're taking the next step and focusing purely on the cloud. We will explore the different cloud models - public, private, and hybrid - and provide guidance on what to consider when choosing a cloud provider for your organisation.

What Are Cloud Models and Which Should You Choose?

When moving to the cloud, one of the first decisions you'll face is choosing the right cloud model. The three primary models are public, private, and hybrid, each offering distinct advantages depending on your organisation's needs.

Public Cloud

The public cloud is the most common model, where services are delivered over the internet by a third-party provider, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. The underlying hardware, software, and other infrastructure are owned and managed by the provider.

• Benefits: The biggest advantage of the public cloud is cost-effectiveness. You avoid the significant capital expenditure of purchasing and maintaining your own hardware. It offers immense scalability, allowing you to quickly ramp up or down resources as your needs change.
• Best for: Startups and small to medium-sized businesses often start with a public cloud model due to the low entry cost and flexibility. It’s an excellent choice for organisations that need to scale quickly without a large initial investment.

Private Cloud

A private cloud consists of computing resources used exclusively by one business or organisation. The infrastructure can be located on-site at the company's data centre or hosted by a third-party service provider. The key difference is that the infrastructure is dedicated to a single organisation.

• Benefits: The main drivers for choosing a private cloud are security and control. For organisations in highly regulated industries or those handling sensitive data, a private cloud provides a higher level of security and customisation.
• Best for: Larger enterprises, government agencies, and financial institutions often opt for a private cloud. For these organisations, the need for stringent security, data sovereignty, and control over their environment outweighs the higher costs associated with private infrastructure.

Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud combines a private cloud with one or more public cloud services, with proprietary software enabling communication between each distinct service. This model allows data and applications to be shared between them.

• Benefits: Hybrid cloud offers the best of both worlds. Organisations can use the public cloud for non-sensitive operations and less critical workloads while keeping sensitive data and core applications on a private cloud. Many businesses transitioning from on-prem infrastructure naturally evolve into a hybrid model, as it allows them to get continued value from their existing hardware while leveraging the scalability of the public cloud.
• Best for: Most established businesses find that a hybrid model fits their needs perfectly. It provides the flexibility to take advantage of public cloud innovations while maintaining control over critical systems and getting the most out of previous hardware investments.

How to Choose the Right Cloud Provider

Once you've decided on a cloud model, the next step is to select a vendor. With numerous providers like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and specialised providers like Micron21, it's crucial to evaluate them based on your specific requirements.

Before comparing vendors, you first need to understand your own business needs and goals. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Computing Power & Capacity: What are your current computing and storage requirements, and what do you anticipate for the future?
• Control & Flexibility: How much control do you need over your infrastructure? Do you require the ability to customise your environment?
• Data Sovereignty: Are there legal or regulatory requirements that mandate your data must reside in a specific geographical location?
• Certifications & Compliance: Do you need to adhere to specific industry regulations like PCI DSS for financial data or other compliance standards?
• Budget: What is your budget for IT infrastructure? Consider both the initial migration costs and ongoing operational expenses.
• Uptime & Redundancy: What are your uptime requirements? How critical is it for your systems to be protected from downtime?
• Support & Management: What level of support will you need? Will your internal team manage the infrastructure, or will you rely on the cloud provider for managed services?

Answering these questions will help you narrow down the list of potential providers and determine the service type that best suits your organisation.

Don't Forget Your Exit Strategy

Another critical consideration is your exit strategy. While you may be happy with a provider now, business needs can change. How easy would it be to migrate your systems to a different provider in the future?

A growing trend among major cloud providers is the push towards Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings, such as fully managed database engines. While these services can simplify development and management, they often create vendor lock-in. Using these proprietary services can make it incredibly difficult and costly to move to another provider down the line.

Our recommendation is to prioritise open-source platforms and technologies that are provider-agnostic. By using services that are not specific to any single vendor, you retain the flexibility to migrate your systems in the future without a major overhaul, ensuring you're not locked into a single ecosystem.

Plan Your Next Move

Choosing the right cloud architecture and provider is a significant decision that will impact your business for years to come. By carefully evaluating your needs and understanding the different models and vendors available, you can make an informed choice that sets your organisation up for success.

If you'd like to learn more about selecting the right cloud architecture or need specific criteria for evaluating providers, our team is here to help. We can work with you to plan your move to the cloud, making the process as simple and smooth as possible.

You can reach us via email at sales@micron21.com or by phone on 1300 769 972 (Option #1).