Bitrix24: cloud or on-premise
The choice between cloud and on-premise is decided not by licence price but by whether you have data residency requirements and whether you need code-level customisation. Everything else is secondary.
We scope the estimate before the work starts; timelines and warranty go in the contract.
What the work includes
Where the data lives
Cloud — with the vendor; on-premise — on your server.
Depth of customisation
On-premise gives code access, the cloud gives API and apps.
Cost of ownership
On-premise requires a server and administration.
Updates
Automatic in the cloud, on a policy on-premise.
Time to launch
Cloud in days, on-premise in weeks.
Honest recommendation
If the cloud suffices we say so, though on-premise pays us more.
When the cloud is enough
When there is no requirement to keep data inside your own perimeter — and most companies have none.
When the tasks are covered by configuration, robots and API integrations. That covers the overwhelming majority of sales and service scenarios.
And when there is no appetite to maintain a server and someone who watches it. The cloud removes those costs entirely — and they are the ones usually forgotten when comparing prices.
When on-premise is required
When there is a data residency requirement — internal policy, industry rules, a client's demand.
When code-level customisation impossible in the cloud is needed, or integration with internal systems unreachable from the internet.
And when the company is large enough to maintain infrastructure. On-premise without administration becomes, within a year, an un-updated system with security holes — the worst of all options.
How we run it
- Requirements. Are there constraints on the data.
- Tasks. Is configuration and API enough.
- Calculation. Cost of ownership over two or three years.
- Decision. Choose the option and record the reasons.
- Rollout. Launch along the chosen path.
Frequently asked
Which is cheaper?
Over a couple of years the cloud almost always is: on-premise adds server, administration and updates to the licence.
Can we start in the cloud and move on-premise?
Yes, migration is possible. But deciding at the start is cheaper, which is why we begin with a requirements review.
Does on-premise have more features?
In terms of customisation, yes. Otherwise the functionality is close.
Who updates the on-premise version?
Your administrator or us on a policy. What matters is that updates happen.
Which do companies choose more often?
The cloud. On-premise is justified by a specific requirement, not by a general feeling that «it is safer».
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