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INFRASTRUCTURE

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Making the Right Infrastructure Decision with GCS 

 

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to IT infrastructure. With GCS’s long-standing expertise in the IT industry, we help businesses make informed decisions about whether to remain on-premise, move to the public cloud, or adopt a private cloud or hybrid approach. 

 

The right choice depends on your applications, security requirements, compliance needs, and long-term costs—not marketing trends. 

 

On-Premise Infrastructure 

 

There are still valid business cases where on-premise systems are required, including: 

  • Legacy or line-of-business applications 

  • Specialized software with hardware dependencies 

  • Regulatory or data sovereignty requirements 

  • Latency-sensitive workloads 

 

However, on-premise environments come with tradeoffs: 

  • High upfront hardware costs 

  • Ongoing maintenance and lifecycle replacement 

  • Security responsibility remains fully on the business 

  • After-hours maintenance and patching 

  • Increased support and after-hours labor costs 

 

On-premise servers require constant attention and planning to remain secure, supported, and reliable. 

 

Public Cloud – The Modern Standard 

 

For most businesses today, public cloud platforms have become the most practical and cost-effective solution. 

 

Why the Cloud Makes Sense 

  • No server hardware to purchase or maintain 

  • Built-in redundancy and high availability 

  • Enterprise-grade security and compliance 

  • Predictable monthly costs 

  • Rapid scalability 

  • Minimal downtime when outages occur 

 

Cloud platforms have become so reliable, affordable, and redundant that it becomes harder every year to justify traditional on-premise servers for most workloads. 

 

The Reality of Cloud Outages 

 

Outages do occur—but they are typically: 

  • Limited in scope 

  • Short in duration 

  • Resolved faster than most on-premise failures 

 

By comparison, on-premise outages often require: 

  • Emergency after-hours work 

  • Physical access 

  • Replacement parts 

  • Extended downtime 

 

Private Cloud & Hosted Infrastructure 

 

In some cases, neither public cloud nor on-premise is the best fit. 

 

GCS Private Cloud Hosting 

 

For certain applications, it can be more cost-effective and secure for GCS to host your infrastructure on your behalf. 

 

GCS leases secure space in Quasar Data Center in Houston, allowing us to deliver private cloud and hosted solutions without the burden of on-premise ownership. 

 

Benefits of Hosting in Quasar Data Center 

  • Professionally managed, secure data center environment 

  • Redundant power, cooling, and connectivity 

  • Physical security and access controls 

  • High availability infrastructure 

  • Enterprise-grade networking 

 

GCS-Owned & Managed Infrastructure 

  • Dell enterprise server hardware 

  • Fortinet firewalls owned and managed by GCS 

  • Proper segmentation and security controls 

  • Managed backups and monitoring 

 

This model eliminates hardware ownership and maintenance for the client while retaining control, performance, and security. 

 

Hybrid Environments 

 

Some businesses benefit from a hybrid approach, combining: 

  • Public cloud services 

  • Hosted private infrastructure 

  • Limited on-premise systems 

 

GCS designs hybrid environments that: 

  • Reduce risk 

  • Lower costs 

  • Maintain flexibility 

  • Support long-term growth 

 

What We See in Practice 

 

For approximately 90% of the businesses we support, the public cloud alone—often centered around platforms like Microsoft 365—is all that is required. 

 

These clients benefit from: 

  • No server hardware 

  • Reduced security exposure 

  • Lower support costs 

  • Simplified IT management 

 

Let GCS Help You Decide 

 

GCS does not push a single solution. We help you: 

  • Evaluate current and future needs 

  • Compare real costs—not just hardware prices 

  • Understand security and compliance implications 

  • Choose the right mix of cloud and on-premise resources 

 

If you’re unsure which direction is right for your business, let one of our professionals guide you. 

 

The best infrastructure is the one that fits your business—not the one that creates unnecessary complexity. 

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