On this page (6)
- Own server vs cloud: maintenance, personal data and the connection
- The TraxSystem cloud variant: data, contract, availability and backups
- When to choose your own server and when the cloud
- The price difference between your own server and the cloud
- What stays the same in both variants
- Questions and answers
For a vehicle entry control system, your own server (on-premises) and the cloud differ in three ways: who maintains the server, who is legally responsible for personal data, and what happens when the internet connection goes down. TraxSystem works in both variants, and the licence covers the same functions in each. The third difference is the one most often skipped in sales conversations, even though in entry control it carries the most weight: the gates, cameras and readers are on your site, while a cloud server is somewhere else.
Own server vs cloud: maintenance, personal data and the connection
Who maintains the server
An on-premises server is maintained by the customer’s IT department, which is responsible for updates, backups and monitoring. In the cloud the vendor does this, and the cost is included in the subscription. A company without an IT department usually has no real choice here.
Who is responsible for personal data
Responsibility for personal data is a legal difference, and for some customers the deciding one. On site, the data doesn’t leave the customer’s infrastructure and no data processor is involved, so there is no data processing agreement, no question of transfers and no sub-processor. In the cloud the vendor is the data processor and signs a data processing agreement (Article 28 GDPR), while the customer remains the data controller.
So the assurance that in the cloud “your data stays with you” is untrue, and it comes out at the contract stage, which is the worst possible moment.
What happens when the connection goes down
With an on-premises server, the server and the devices are on one network, so the site keeps working. In the cloud the server is on the other side of the link, while the gates, cameras, readers and weighbridge stay with you. How far a link failure affects the site then depends on the deployment’s configuration: it is established in the pre-implementation analysis and written into the acceptance report. We don’t promise up front that “the gate works anyway”, because in some configurations that isn’t true.
The TraxSystem cloud variant: data, contract, availability and backups
In the TraxSystem cloud, data is stored in Poland, so there is no transfer outside the European Economic Area. The infrastructure belongs to the vendor or to an external provider, and the customer chooses which. A sub-processor is involved only with external infrastructure, and it is then disclosed in the agreement. A template data processing agreement is ready and is signed before go-live.
Declared availability is 99%. Backups are made every 8 hours, and with two-server operation they are continuous. When you leave the service, you get a copy of your own instance’s database.
A server in Poland closes off the whole topic of transfers outside the EEA, standard contractual clauses and third countries, which is the most time-consuming part of the conversation with a data protection officer.
When to choose your own server and when the cloud
| On-premises, when… | Cloud, when… |
|---|---|
| company policy forbids taking personal data off site | there is no IT department or no room for another server |
| you have your own server room and a team that runs it | updates and backups should be the supplier’s job |
| the site has to work regardless of the connection | there are several sites and you want one point of access to all of them |
| full independence from the supplier is what counts | a lower entry point and no upfront spending are what count |
The price difference between your own server and the cloud
The cloud subscription rate is higher because it covers the server, backups, monitoring and updates on our side. The surcharge is calculated on the whole subscription, meaning the base and modules together, not on the base alone. The licence and the range of functions are identical in both variants.
The pricing configurator shows both amounts side by side for the same configuration, so you can check the difference with your own figures.
Hosting is available only with a subscription. A one-off licence can’t be hosted by us, because an ongoing cost can’t be covered by a one-off payment.
What stays the same in both variants
In both variants the hardware is on site. The cloud doesn’t remove the need for cameras, barriers and readers, and giving the server access to them requires network configuration on your side, so a browser alone isn’t enough.
The implementation price is identical in both variants, because it is the same work, and the licence covers the same functions. Where the variants do differ is in responsibility for data and dependence on the connection.
Questions and answers
Can we start in the cloud and move the system to our own server?
Yes, both directions are possible, with the price agreed individually.
What do we get if we leave the cloud?
A copy of your instance’s database; the data belongs to you.
Does TraxSystem have ISO or TISAX certification?
Not yet. We are in the process of implementing TISAX and ISO.
See also: Driver data at the gatehouse: how long to keep it and what to delete · Perpetual licence or subscription: which works out cheaper