On-Prem vs Cloud Collaboration Platforms: What IT Teams Need to Consider When Designing AV Systems

• Collaboration Technology
• Room Design
• Unified Communications & Collaboration

Summary: 

• Platform deployment influences how your AV system is installed, hosted, and delivered
• There are several deployment methods that consider a variety of priorities and outcomes
• Choosing the right method requires deep consideration of security, cost, resourcing and support needs
• The right AV partner can simplify the process and help you make more informed decisions about your platform deployment
  

As collaboration tools continue to evolve, the way you deploy them plays a major role in how your teams communicate and deliver outcomes productively. 

Every organization has different priorities, levels of IT support, and security requirements, which means there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Understanding which platform deployment models are available to you is the first step toward choosing a solution that aligns with your business needs—and sets you up for long-term success.

Here’s how to determine which approach is best for you and your team: 

Defining Platform Deployment

Platform deployment refers to the method an organization uses to install, host, and deliver technology solutions such as collaboration platforms like Zoom, Webex or Microsoft Teams, interoperability solutions, or software applications, to their end users. It determines where the platform runs, who manages it, and how it’s accessed.

Different deployment models such as on-premises (on prem), cloud, or a hybrid combination determine how the platform is delivered and needs to be supported. 

The deployment method you choose influences many factors such as cost, scalability, IT resourcing and ownership. 

There are two main approaches to platform deployment: 

On-Premises Deployment

When your AV and platforms are deployed on-premises (on-prem), this means that they’re installed and managed on a private network that is owned by your business and serviced by your internal IT and AV resources. 

This also means that core components like room hardware, video conferencing infrastructure, additional software integrations, security settings, network configuration, and other management tools connected to the platform or your AV environment are fully handled by you and/or users that you authorize.

Pros of on-prem deployment: 

• More private and allows for stricter security management and compliance
• Easier to customize your workflows and user experience
• Your IT team has full control over network decisions 

Considerations: 

• Your team is responsible for purchasing servers, licensing and storage, resulting in higher upfront costs
• Maintaining uptime requires more rigorous support 

• Scaling solutions can be slower and more costly due to having to purchase more capacity alongside hardware

On-prem deployment is typically preferred by businesses that operate in highly regulated industries such as government, legal, healthcare and finance, due to the ability to customize and control the network on a deep level. 

Cloud Deployment

Platforms that are deployed via the cloud are hosted on the provider’s cloud infrastructure (such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace). Though your teams connect to these tools using your private meeting spaces, room AV systems, and personal devices, they are accessed over the internet via subscriptions and are typically managed by the software’s provider or designated IT and AV support resources. 

Pros of cloud deployment:

• Software updates, security patches and feature rollouts are managed by the vendor, so your IT team doesn’t have to stress
• Scaling is much more simplified, allowing you to add or remove users in seconds
• Lower upfront cost since your team is only responsible for providing devices, not servers and storage

Considerations: 

• Your IT team may have less control over security and infrastructure settings
• Subscription models, packages and pricing are subject to change at the provider’s discretion
• You may not have access to troubleshoot some areas of the platform or infrastructure, relying on the provider for third party support assistance in some scenarios

Many enterprises prefer cloud deployment since it enables them to scale quickly, be more flexible with their workflows and simplify how they manage and support their meeting spaces. However, as cloud solutions continue to mature in terms of security, some highly regulated industries are now considering it more often as the flexibility and simpler management are attractive features. 

See the table below for a higher level overview of how the two models compare: 

Hybrid Deployment

When properly planned, many businesses may choose to design their collaboration systems using a hybrid approach that includes both on-prem and cloud deployment depending on the tools and use cases. 

For example, you can choose to deploy and manage your Microsoft Teams platform via cloud for easier scalability and accessibility, but install your meeting transcription and note-taking services on-prem to minimize the risk of leaking sensitive data. 

The hybrid model offers teams the flexibility to modernize at their own pace, while preserving critical elements of existing systems.

Pros of hybrid deployment: 

• Offers more infrastructure and design customization based on your priorities and IT capacity
• Your IT team can specify which tools they manage themselves on-prem and rely on cloud providers to support the rest of your behalf
• Teams can migrate rooms, users, or locations incrementally—reducing disruption and avoiding costly infrastructure rip-and-replace projects when modernizing their spaces
• Cloud-based interoperability features (like Direct Guest Join or CVI) can coexist with on-prem call control, gateways, or SIP/H.323 rooms until all systems are ready to migrate to cloud

Considerations: 

• Your IT team will need to be diligent about keeping on-prem security and functionality updates on track alongside cloud-managed updates
• Costs will vary depending on which aspects of the network your team chooses to own internally 
• ​​Troubleshooting can be more complex because issues may come from a wider variety of sources such as your network, vendor services, misconfigurations, user error, etc. 

We see more and more businesses choosing hybrid deployment methods today, as we encounter organizations with complex room environments, regulatory constraints, or long-term investments in traditional video and calling infrastructure.

Decision-Making Factors

When deciding with deployment method is best for you, there are a few main factors to take into account: 

Security and Compliance 
Each deployment method offers a different approach to managing your security requirements, and varying degrees of control for your team. Depending on what kind of compliance standards your business is required to maintain, or what level of security is necessary to protect different types of data, this can affect which approach you choose. 

Team Resourcing
For teams that wish to have more ownership and control over their collaboration infrastructure, on-prem or hybrid deployment will fulfill that need, however, they also require more robust internal resourcing such as IT and other support staff. 

Businesses that have smaller or more limited IT resources may opt for cloud deployment, as often the cost of licensing will include the required updates, patches and support, while still costing less than hiring the equivalent number of staff needed to maintain the same level of performance and security. 

Cost
In the same vein as people resourcing, there are also other different costs associated with each deployment method. 

A fully owned infrastructure will also have a higher cost of ownership that includes your hardware, servers, licensing, storage, internet, and other potential costs such as VPNs or local data centres. On the other side of the spectrum, typically the only costs to consider with cloud platforms are your upfront hardware costs, initial platform setup costs and then recurring licensing fees—which can scale up or down depending on your needs. 

Current Hardware
The age and configuration abilities of your hardware can also have an impact on what deployment options are available to you. As platforms continue to modernize, older devices and legacy endpoints are more frequently being deemed incompatible with newer infrastructure requirements, sometimes even announced End-of-Life (EOL) or End-of-Support (EOS). In these scenarios, on-prem or limited hybrid deployments often work best as IT teams can configure their settings as needed to achieve their desired experience. 

Newer devices are designed with the assumption that most businesses will be deploying their solutions via cloud, or at least a hybrid approach, but will still allow teams the capability to choose on-prem if that is what better suits them. 

The Right Partner Matters 

If you’re unsure which method of deployment will truly deliver the most desirable outcome, working with an experienced AV partner like ET Group can help. Our comprehensive process allows us to deliver seamless, custom solutions that enhance your experience while protecting your business. 

Discovery
In order to best understand your priorities, budget, team resources workflows and current user experience, our experts engage in deep discovery exercises with your key stakeholders and end users, including: 

• Workshops to identify challenges and pain points
• Interviews to understand needs and priorities
• Workflow analysis to pinpoint gaps
• Current systems review to evaluate design requirements

This process ensures that we choose the right deployment method that provides your required security and compliance demands, and offers your desired level of control and support. 

Design
Once we’ve determined your deployment requirements, our AV designers and Unified Communications engineers work together to build a solution that delivers your selected experience.

We assess, prototype, test and iterate platform settings, devices and other IT applications to develop a comprehensive technology system that is intuitive and provides high quality performance while protecting you against risks.

Support
Post-deployment, our comprehensive Support program and Service team are here to help you manage your system and resolve incidents so you can be stress-free about performance, exposure and uptime. 

We also operate as an extension of your IT team, offering additional support for businesses with limited resources, so you can have more flexibility when considering which deployment options are available to you. 

We’ll work with you to co-manage your on-prem solution, or assist with managing your cloud licensing to allow you the freedom to focus on the parts of your business that matter most. 

In Conclusion 

As collaboration needs continue to evolve, choosing the right deployment model becomes essential for supporting your teams and maintaining a secure, reliable environment. Whether your organization leans toward on-prem, cloud, or a hybrid approach, the goal remains the same: delivering an experience that enables people to do their best work.

Contact us to get started. 

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