Facilities and compliance teams, both in the UK and internationally, are under mounting pressure to “do more with less”. That includes optimising operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, and managing assets effectively across multiple sites, despite the limited and shrinking resources such personnel often have at their disposal.
An integrated workplace management system (IWMS) can be a backbone of digital transformation for these teams. At their best, such platforms can greatly help to streamline processes and provide real-time insights across various facets of facilities, compliance, and asset management.
However, even an organisation that has decided to invest in an IWMS solution faces a critical decision: should it opt for a cloud-based IWMS or an on-premises platform?
In this article, we will define these respective models of IWMS. We will also set out the pros and cons of each one, and compare them across key dimensions.
Along the way, we will also explain why the right choice for your organisation will depend on your particular business goals and the requirements of your sector.
What is a cloud-based IWMS?
A cloud-based IWMS is a software platform hosted on secure, external servers and accessed via the Internet.
Through its centralisation of facilities, compliance, and asset management in a single solution reachable by any authorised person with an Internet connection, a cloud-based IWMS makes real-time data access possible from anywhere.
Exemplifying this model is our own Vision Pro Software. This renowned cloud-first platform provides seamless updates, mobile access, and robust security without any need for the organisation using it to set up additional on-site infrastructure.
What is an on-premises IWMS?
An on-premises IWMS is installed locally on the given organisation’s servers and managed by its internal IT team.
This is the traditional model of IWMS. Such a system does offer control and customisation. However, it also requires the organisation using it to invest significant time and resources into infrastructure, maintenance, and ensuring it has the necessary expertise.
While an on-premises IWMS was once the default choice, it is increasingly regarded as lacking the agility required in today’s fast-paced environment.
Why do the advantages of cloud-based IWMS outweigh on-premises?
There are various compelling benefits for an organisation that embraces the adoption of a cloud-based IWMS solution over the longer-established on-premises model:
- Lower up-front costs: when the cloud-based approach is taken, there isn’t a need for hefty initial hardware or licensing investments. Predictable subscription-based pricing further helps to make budgeting predictable with this form of IWMS.
- Faster deployment: a cloud-based system can be rolled out quickly, without the need for costly installation work. This, in turn, allows for facilities management teams to see the value of such a platform with their own eyes, so much sooner.
- Continuous updates: updates can be automatically made to the IWMS by the provider of the system, so that the organisation using it doesn’t even need to manually request new features and functionality. As a result, the system can be kept current and future-ready.
- Mobile and offline access: when a cloud-based IWMS is implemented that also offers mobile apps with offline functionality, this can greatly empower field teams to work effectively across multiple sites, even in low-connectivity areas.
- Vendor-managed security: with the provider of the cloud-based IWMS handling encryption, compliance certifications, and disaster recovery, the burden of these elements can be lifted off the internal team of the organisation using the system.
Are the limitations of cloud-based IWMS really barriers?
Cloud-based IWMS packages do come with possible drawbacks, and it is important for organisational decision-makers to take them into account. However, these potential disadvantages can also sometimes be overstated:
- Dependence on access to the Internet can be mitigated with offline functionality for audits and inspections. This allows for such processes to continue even if the given system isn’t connected to the Internet at the time they are taking place.
- Data sovereignty concerns can be addressed through the cloud IWMS provider offering highly secure cloud hosting that meets regulatory needs.
- Subscription costs are, by their very nature, ongoing, rather than a mere “one-off” initial expense. However, these recurring fees are offset by the savings that can be achieved in relation to IT maintenance, upgrades, and staffing.
For most organisations, the operational flexibility and scalability that they gain through their adoption of a cloud-based IWMS platform will outweigh these manageable concerns.
Why are on-premises advantages less relevant today?
On-premises IWMS solutions do offer control over data and customisation, which may appeal to organisations with strict data residency requirements.
However, such benefits come at a cost:
- Reduced agility: on-premises systems are typically slower to adopt innovations such as mobile apps, Internet of Things (IoT) integration, and real-time analytics, than is the case with the leading cloud-based IWMS solutions.
- High IT burden: significant IT expertise and infrastructure investment are required in order to set up, and then use and maintain, an on-premises system. It is therefore almost inevitable that such a platform will divert vital resources away from the given organisation’s core business goals.
- Limited flexibility: in today’s era of hybrid work patterns and multi-site operations, centralised on-premises systems struggle to keep up with distributed teams.
What are the biggest limitations of on-premises IWMS compared to cloud?
There are several major challenges associated with the adoption and use of on-premises IWMS platforms:
- High costs: the upfront expenses for hardware, licences, and ongoing maintenance can strain the budgets of many organisations.
- Slow deployments: the lengthy period of time it can take to get an on-premises IWMS implemented and on stream will also mean a longer wait for the system to begin delivering a meaningful return on investment (ROI).
- Security and compliance burden: the organisation that seeks to introduce and use an on-premises IWMS will also need to manage such aspects as encryption, compliance, and disaster recovery itself. This can be a heavy workload burden for an internal team, at the same time as heightening risk.
- Limited accessibility: remote and multi-site operations often depend on the use of clunky VPNs, which can hinder collaboration and efficiency.
In contrast to issues like the above, cloud-based IWMS solutions offer speed, scalability, and security. Such advantages help make these systems a better match to the typical day-to-day demands of organisations in the 2020s.
Which deployment model is more future-proof?
A cloud-based IWMS offers inherently greater adaptability than an on-premises arrangement:
- Seamless improvements and innovation: a cloud-based system automatically benefits from the vendor’s latest features, integrations, and updates. These changes are rolled out seamlessly, with the organisation that uses the IWMS not seeing any disruption to its operations.
- Scalability: a cloud-based IWMS is very much built, “from the ground up”, to be scalable. So, whether the system is being used to manage one site or hundreds of them, it will grow with the organisation using it.
- Integration-ready: cloud-based IWMS platforms can more easily integrate with IoT, mobile devices, and analytics tools that are shaping the future of facilities management.
By comparison, traditional on-premises IWMS solutions are slower to evolve, with upgrades often requiring downtime, new hardware, and IT resources.
Amid the continuing shifts in regulatory requirements and workplace demands, cloud-based systems are distinguishing themselves as the sustainable and future-ready option for facilities management.
Which industries or organisations may prefer each option?
The nature of a given organisation, and the particular requirements of its sector, may exert some influence on the specific deployment model that is chosen for an IWMS:
- A cloud-based IWMS is ideal for compliance-heavy sectors where the management of multiple sites is the norm, such as healthcare, education, property, retail, construction, transport, and logistics. These are all industries that benefit from the combination of mobile access, automation, and central oversight that cloud-based systems provide.
- An on-premises IWMS may still suit certain niche cases, such as organisations with extreme data residency restrictions or that operate in zero-connectivity environments. However, even these cases are becoming increasingly rare, as cloud-based providers address such concerns.
The reality is that for organisations in the majority of regulated industries today, it is a cloud-based system that can be relied upon to deliver faster ROI, better compliance assurance, and greater operational flexibility.
How does Vision Pro Software deliver ROI with cloud-based IWMS?
If you are a key decision-maker for a facilities management team and you have become convinced that a cloud-based IWMS would be the optimal solution, you will have excellent reason to consider our own Vision Pro Software.
This renowned platform is not merely cloud-based, but cloud-first. It is a package that has been designed to enable the most efficient and intuitive compliance, audit, risk, and asset management processes in the 2020s.
This software’s proven benefits include:
- An up to 74% reduction in reporting times
- An improvement in risk assessments by 68%
- Mobile-first, offline functionality for multi-site operations
- A scalable design for regulated sectors that require efficiency and accountability
By streamlining processes and greatly helping to enhance visibility, Vision Pro Software empowers facilities leaders to achieve exactly what they need to achieve in the operational conditions of the 2020s: more, with less.
Conclusion: Which IWMS model is right for you?
The final decision that an organisation makes between a cloud-based and on-premises IWMS will depend on its daily operational needs, compliance requirements, and long-term goals.
If the given organisation opts for a cloud-based IWMS such as Vision Pro Software, it can expect to benefit from lower costs, faster deployment, robust security, and unmatched flexibility for multi-site operations.
An on-premises system does allow the organisation using the platform to exercise a high level of control over it. However, such solutions also come with high costs, as well as slow innovation and scalability challenges – drawbacks that often outweigh the potential benefits.
For facilities leaders in regulated industries, Vision Pro Software stands out as a modern and future-proof choice. This cloud-first IWMS can be counted on to greatly simplify compliance and transform operations.
So, why not request a demo to enable you to sample these benefits for yourself, before you commit to this high-performing and feature-rich package? You are also welcome to reach out to our team if you have any further questions about our highly rated system.
