What are the different shades of on-premises and how do they differ?
There are three main shades of on-premises: air gap, self-hosted and managed server. In all of them your data physically stays on your own infrastructure. They differ in how locked down the environment is and who handles day-to-day operations.
The three shades explained
On-premises is no longer a single option. All three deployment modes keep your data physically on your infrastructure, but they differ in how much you lock down and how much you operate yourself.
Air gap
A fully isolated environment with no internet connection at all. It gives the highest level of control and is meant for the most critical and most heavily guarded environments. Updates and security patches still need to be installed regularly, so they move in through a controlled transfer zone. Integrations are only possible with other systems that are air gapped too.
Self-hosted
The platform, such as Easy8, runs on your own servers, and you allow controlled outbound connections for things like email, single sign-on, AI features or third-party integrations. You decide which components stay inside and which you outsource, and sensitive parts can still live in an isolated subnetwork.
Managed server
Your data still physically sits on your infrastructure, but a trusted vendor takes care of operations such as the database, backups, upgrades and maintenance. This suits organisations that want ownership of their data without building an internal team to run the platform.
- Air gap: maximum control, no outbound connections, highest operational effort
- Self-hosted: control with flexibility for mail, SSO, AI and integrations
- Managed server: data stays with you, operations handled by a trusted vendor
