Before we ponder this question, let’s first understand the major differences between an on-premise and a cloud data security product. An on-premise data security product means the management console is on the enterprise customer’s premises, whereas the security vendor hosts a cloud data security product in the cloud. Security vendors aid customers by providing clear guidance on installing and maintaining an on-premise solution. Customers are responsible for the hardware, OS, and product configuration to protect against threats and sensitive data leaks. The security vendors manage cloud solutions, and enterprise customers must configure the product to meet their needs.
You might ask, “Why would an enterprise customer take on the burden of managing the installation and maintenance of the product, given that configuring and making it work already poses a significant toll on them?” Great question! Not all enterprise customers are comfortable having their data stored in the cloud along with other customers (typically, this happens in a multi-tenant cloud deployment). You might wonder why not opt for a private cloud. Of course, they can opt for a private cloud, nevertheless, the data is not entirely under their control. Security vendors manage the account and the data.
