Should I host GateKeeper Hub on cloud or on premise?

GateKeeper Hub for proximity authentication can be managed on the cloud or on-premise - the choice is up to each IT admin. Benefits of the cloud include easier remote management, access to the most recent software updates, and no need to worry about memory storage for logs. Hosting on-premise is beneficial for those that want to keep everything in-house for meeting compliance requirements or security purposes. 

The GateKeeper Hub management console can be deployed on Microsoft Azure as a cloud application or on your own network (on-premise server). The following table highlights the key differences between the two.

	On-Premise	Cloud	Notes
SQL Server	SQL server installed on the network. Default installation includes SQL Express.	Full SQL server hosted on Microsoft Azure.	The cloud Hub includes a full SQL Server with no limitations on CPU, Memory and Database size constraints. On-Premise with SQL Express will be limited in capabilities. However, if you already have a full SQL Server, then there is no difference between on-premise and cloud Hub.
Windows Server environment	Windows Server 2012 or higher is recommended to host the GateKeeper Hub. This can be a physical or virtualized server.	No separate installation required on the network.	The cloud instance manages the Windows environment automatically with all required updates. On-premise Hub installation requires the Windows server to be managed by the customer’s IT.
Hub software updates	Must be installed by the administrator whenever updates are released.	All Hub software updates are automatically applied to the cloud instance.	Software updates are released quarterly, and administrators should monitor them to keep the Hub updated.
Deployment	Installation requires about 60-90 minutes depending on if SQL Express needs to be installed.	Installation requires 5 min.	Immediate deployment of Cloud Hub is beneficial for customers who may not have sufficient infrastructure to host a web server and SQL server on their network.
Public website	The Hub website is only available inside the network. Therefore, computers taken out of the network will not be able to sync with the Hub until they come back on the network. Additional feature is available – “Off-site Access” – that allows the on-premise server to have a publicly-accessible URL that can be accessed when remote (offsite).	A public URL is available with the Cloud instance. So, all computers can communicate directly with the Hub so long as they have Internet access.	If the customer has computers that are taken off the network, then the cloud option makes more sense.

Other helpful links for IT admins:

IT Admin FAQs - GateKeeper Enterprise

GateKeeper Enterprise Training for IT Admins

For any additional questions or concerns regarding locking, logging off, proximity settings, credential management, or compliance, please contact GateKeeper Enterprise support using the Support Ticket form on https://gkaccess.com/support/ or email [e-mail]. Lock or log off automatically when you're away from your computer.

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