Finding the right CyberArk solution for your organization: On-premises vs. Privilege Cloud (SaaS)

Nowadays privilege access management or PAM, is a non-negotiable necessity. Working with sensitive data such as domain controllers, global administrators and root accounts that might be at stake, organizations need to have a solution. Our partner, CyberArk offers two: CyberArk Privilege Cloud (SaaS) and CyberArk privilege Access On-Premises. 

Both are designed to protect your systems but they do have some key differences in deployment, maintenance and updates, scalability, availability and costs. 

In this article, we’ll explore 5 key differences for you.

→ Difference #1: Deployment
→ Difference #2: Maintenance and updates
→ Difference #3: Scalability
→ Difference #4: Availability 
→ Difference #5: Costs

Difference #1: Deployment

There’s a big difference between an on-premises solution and a SaaS cloud solution in terms of deployment.

On-premises

Working with an on-premises solution, you’ll have to consider the fact it’ll require a lot of infrastructure planning and a dedicated IT team to deploy and manage multiple servers and sources within the organization’s data center.

Your internal IT team plays a central part in requiring the hardware and infrastructure to set it up. Organizations have full control over the environment so if you have a business with very strict data management and customization requirements, this might just be the solution for you.

Privilege Cloud (SaaS)

Deployment within a privilege cloud/SaaS solution is faster and simpler. You don’t have to patch each server individually when choosing for a privilege cloud solution but you’ll still need some on-premises resources to guarantee the communication between your local environment and the CyberArk backend at SaaS-level. This means you only deal with one server.

The privilege cloud server is at a SaaS-level, meaning that we can call this a hard knee server. For a server of this kind, you’ll normally have to consider different policies and controls, but because it’s part of SaaS, it’s already there. This is not the case for an on-prem solution, the IT team has to consider source, timing, budgets, server requirements, .. dedicated to this one server.

SaaS ensures a high security level of CyberArk which means it’s super secure. It also follows different compliance frameworks to guarantee the security of your business.

Takeaway

On-premises is about control and customization, Privilege Cloud focuses on speed and simplicity

Difference #2: Maintenance and updates

On-premises

Maintenance and updates are managed internally and manually by the IT team. Talking about maintenance, this is quite the challenge. There’s different This requires thoughtful scheduling as it can have a huge impact on your downtime but we’ll explain this later as this is also a huge difference between the solutions. When dealing with a large infrastructure with multiple servers, this might not be the best choice.

Privilege Cloud (SaaS)

Updates are either automatically done for you or it’s done after your approval by clicking a button. This solution is hosted and managed by CyberArk in the cloud, making it a “pug-and-play” solution for businesses.

Takeaway

Privilege Cloud (SaaS) works with automated updates, on-prem does not.

Difference #3: Scalability

On-premises

Scaling requires additional infrastructure and hardware, which increases costs and complexity. For example, an organization with 5 servers that needs to scale, needs to double or triple their server meaning they’ll go from 5 to 10 or 15. More servers mean more staff with the right knowledge. This has a huge impact on the business.

Privilege Cloud (SaaS)

Scaling is easy and cost-effective. You won’t need any additional physical resources or hardware. The Cloud will do it for you meaning you won’t need as much servers or as many people to manage those resources and servers as you’ll need in the on-premises solution.

Takeaway

Privilege Cloud (SaaS) scales seamlessly, on-premises scaling may be better for organizations that prefer more of a controlled growth.

Difference #4: Availability

On-premises

Availability relies on the company’s internal IT infrastructure and redundancy planning. If the data center experiences downtime then the access to privilege accounts may become temporarily unavailable.

Privilege Cloud (SaaS)

CyberArk guarantees 99.5% availability to your SaaS products, with a downtime that’s limited to a maximum (!) of just 30 minutes per month. Redundancy systems are built into the cloud infrastructure to minimize disruptions.

Takeaway

In the on-premises solution, you’ll be the one responsible.

Difference #5: Costs

On-premises

With an on-premises solution, there’s a combination of upfront costs for hardware and software and ongoing longterm costs like maintenance, updates and potential scaling expenses.

Privilege Cloud (SaaS)

The privilege cloud operates on a subscription based model with predictable monthly or annual costs. There’s no need to invest in expensive hardware or to hire additional staff for maintenance as this is taken care of for you.

Takeaway

In the on-premises solution, you’ll be the one responsible.

How secure is the CyberArk privilege cloud?

CyberArk privilege cloud is designed to keep your data safe, secure, and reliable. It meets top industry standards, like SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3 certifications, and is hosted in Tier IV data centers that are highly secure and fully redundant. The platform protects your data with encryption, both when it’s stored and while it’s being transmitted, to prevent leaks and ensure privacy.

So which one is best for my business?

CyberArk Privilege Cloud is designed for organizations seeking simplicity, faster deployment, and reduced IT overhead. With a cloud based nature, it ensures that updates, maintenance, and scalability are all streamlined. It offers predictable costs and flexibility without compromising security.

However, this doesn’t mean On-Premises is not interesting. Many organizations still prefer On-Premises for its control, customization options, and ability to meet strict compliance requirements. For example, industries like healthcare and pharmaceutical companies often choose On-Premises to maintain full control over their data and infrastructure.

If you do want to migrate from on-premises to the cloud, then the best advice we can give you is: let you guide by a partner from CyberArk that has experience with migrations.

Conclusion

There’s no universal answer to the question: which one is better. The right choice depends on the security strategy of your organization, compliance requirements and long-term business goals. 

At ActWise, we understand the complexities of choosing and implementing the right CyberArk solution. Whether you’re sticking with On-Premises or moving to the cloud, we’re here to help you secure your critical assets with confidence. Contact us today to discuss your needs!

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