By Harsh Thakkar
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With the proliferation of the internet, companies are coming into contact with more and more consumers. As a result, the importance of the Quality Management System (QMS) is growing. QMS is a system that ensures quality assurance, such as document control, is present in an organization.
And when it comes to choosing the right Quality Management System, it is essential to do your research and understand what type of model is right for your company. With that, let’s compare On-premise and Cloud-based QMS and how any of these two can be the right document control model for your company.
It can be confusing to know what is On-premise or Cloud-based software. On-premise software is installed on your company's computer servers and is used to run your enterprise. On the other hand, cloud-based software is hosted in the cloud and used to run your enterprise.
Many businesses think it is a good idea to have both On-premise and Cloud-based QMS to ensure that their resources are better protected. Of course, that’s a nobler method, assuming that you can keep up with risks from both the parties and their costs. If not, continue reading.
What is On-premise QMS?
On-premise software is installed and maintained on the company's premises rather than relying on a cloud-based solution. The On-premise software is updated daily, which means there is a greater chance of catching a potential issue right away. Furthermore, the following are the features On-premise QMS software can offer:
- Top-notch reliability
When you choose an On-premise QMS software, you choose a system with the potential for less downtime and uptime. With the On-premise software, you can make changes to the system and customize it to suit your needs. You can create strategic applications that are more secure and will allow your business to maintain the level of control that cloud-based solutions cannot.
- Purchasing a license is mandatory
When it comes to software, it's important to ensure that your company is operating in the most optimized way. This means that you need to ensure that the software you use is the best and licensed to operate within the premises of your organizations – which generally gives greater protection than relying on a cloud computing infrastructure.
- Best for businesses in highly-regulated industries
On-premise QMS is software that helps businesses in industries with high regulatory requirements like life sciences, financial services, and governments. Also, On-premise software provides a centralized process where teams share the responsibilities of quality and risk management.
The decisions are primarily made for businesses in highly-regulated industries because what’s safer than in-house servers and IT infrastructure that can give peace of mind?
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What is Cloud-based QMS?
Cloud-based QMS is a type of software that runs on a cloud-computing platform and provides a centralized, mobile-ready interface for data, processes, and quality control. It is a web-based, self-service solution that automates the data collection and processing activities of a quality management system. This leads to improved productivity and efficiency.
Cloud-computing providers offer their “services” according to different models, of which the three standard models per NIST are:
- Infrastructure as a service: The service provider provisions processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications.
- Platform as a service: The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages, libraries, services, and tools supported by the provider.
- Software as a service: The consumer uses the service provider’s applications on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through either a thin client interface, such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email), or a program interface. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.
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Most cloud-based QMS applications are offered to consumers as a Software as a service (SaaS) solution on a subscription basis. Cloud-based QMS software allows for smoother integration with your company’s existing systems, such as ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, and can be easily accessed from any device. The following are some reasons why you should choose Cloud-based QMS software for your company:
- Cheaper than On-premise QMS
Cloud-based QMS is becoming more popular for companies that don’t have the budget for On-premise systems. They are cheaper than the latter because cloud solutions can be used as a subscription service, meaning they don't require paid licenses or expensive hardware. They can also be accessed from anywhere and are updated automatically. The Cloud solution is also a way to streamline your operations and collect data in real-time.
What’s more, Cloud-based QMS will cut the costs of the resources to maintain and manage the hardware for your software. And if there’s no hardware for you to take care of, then there’s no need for you to hire technical staff to take care of it – resulting in financial excess in the long run.
- You can try it before you buy
Cloud services allow you to test the software before you buy it. This helps you determine how well the Cloud-based solution works for your business.
Furthermore, Cloud-based QMS provides many benefits, including easy access from any device, taking up less space, and the ability to work with multiple people. And when you get a demo of a cloud-based QMS, you will be able to see how quickly it works with your team and how it can be integrated into your current processes.
- The cloud solution gives you access to innovation
The cloud-based QMS is a new way of managing quality, it's considered the future of quality management. It allows companies to take advantage of cloud-based technologies to provide a next-generation quality management solution that is flexible, scalable, and connected.
By using such a system, companies can quickly develop and launch new products, processes, and services that improve the quality of the whole supply chain. Using Cloud services is a modern solution to the problem of managing quality in a digital era.
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Key criteria to Compare On-premise vs Cloud-based QMS
1. Cost
Cloud-based QMS is an effective, cheaper option for most companies. This is because the Cloud-based QMS has a faster start-up time and easy integration into the business system – without requiring any enterprise to buy hardware themselves. It is also more compatible with mobile devices, allowing you to monitor it anywhere you can, compared to On-premise solutions. Cost savings is a huge factor to consider.
2. Expandability
When it comes to expandability, Cloud-based QMS also gets the advantage. You see, Cloud-based QMS systems are how you can easily scale your business without having to worry about the headaches of traditional on-premise systems. It allows your business to expand easily to new locations while maintaining a high security level.
The Cloud-based software will grow and adapt to your needs. Unlike On-premise QMS, which can’t keep pace with the needs of your business due to the limitations of its storage, memory, bandwidth, and hardware.
3. Visibility
When using On-premises systems that use a real-time data collection and processing method, you will be able to see critical events right away. You’ll also be able to make adjustments and see how they affect the overall performance. This gives On-premise QMS the advantage of visibility.
Furthermore, there are instances that Cloud-based QMS can create blind spots and hindrances that can affect your company's performance – a disadvantage you’ll never experience with a reliable On-premise QMS.
However, Cloud solutions give a company the ability to enable access worldwide – whether it’s an authorized user or a business partner. And if you can do that, you can get meaningful insights with your software anytime, which allows your employees to respond speedily to a crisis.
Conclusion
QMS is a system that helps to manage your quality management process. It is a system that manages your quality control, quality improvement, and quality assurance process, designed to help businesses improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their production processes.
When deciding whether to use an On-premise or a cloud-based QMS, it is important to consider the pros and cons of each option.
If you are looking for a QMS solution that will provide the most flexibility and a lower cost, you'll want to go with the Cloud-based option.
However, if you are looking for a QMS that will offer faster response times and more control, you'll want to go with the On-premise option.
What criteria do you use when choosing between a cloud and an on-premise Quality Management System?
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