Be the boss of your data: choose your security solution with SecurEd

In the modern world of project management, it’s crucial to maintain control over your data. Especially when working with sensitive information, such as in construction projects for the government, defense, or other high-security environments, you don’t want to rely on external parties for your data storage and security. SecurEd from Ed Controls offers you the ability to maintain full control over your data, with three flexible hosting options: your own data center, a private cloud, or a stand-alone solution.

In this blog, we explain how these three hosting options work, what the differences are in control, security, and independence, and how to choose the right option for your organization.

The three hosting options of SecurEd

1. Own data center
   With the own data center option, you host Ed Controls on a server physically located in your own data center. You have complete control over the location, security, and access to the data. This is ideal for organizations that manage their entire IT infrastructure and don’t want to risk outsourcing data to external parties.
   With this option, you remain completely independent of the cloud and other internet-based systems. You decide who has access to the servers and how security is configured. You can manage the data center yourself or work with a trusted partner, but control always remains in your hands.

2. Private cloud
   The private cloud option offers you the benefits of the cloud but with an important addition: your data is stored in a fully isolated and secure environment, exclusively for your organization. The servers are hosted in a private cloud, which means the data is physically separated from other customers’ data. You get the flexibility of the cloud without compromising security and control.
   With the private cloud, you benefit from scalability and flexibility. This is a good choice if you want to manage your data centrally but don’t want to maintain your own data center. It’s also easier to scale or make adjustments without losing control.

3. Stand-alone solution
   The stand-alone version of SecurEd is the ultimate choice for maximum independence. With this solution, the software runs entirely on a locally installed server. No internet connection is required, and you can use Ed Controls fully offline. This is especially useful for environments where no reliable internet connection is available or where the security risk of external connections is too high.
   With the stand-alone option, you have the most control over your system, but you miss the flexibility of cloud solutions and must manage your own hardware and maintenance.

Differences in control, security, and independence

The choice of hosting option depends on the level of control, security, and independence your organization needs.

• Control: The own data center option provides the most control since you manage everything yourself. The private cloud still offers a lot of control, but the responsibility for server maintenance lies with the cloud provider. The stand-alone version also offers full control, but without internet access.

• Security: All three options offer excellent security, but the own data center option provides the highest level of physical and digital security because you are responsible for everything, from server security to network configuration. The private cloud provides good security, with the extra protection of isolation from other users. The stand-alone version is very secure, as everything is stored locally and offline, but it requires strong physical security of the server.

• Independence: If independence is your top priority, the stand-alone solution provides the highest level of autonomy since you have no dependency on an external server or internet connection. The own data center solution also offers a lot of independence, but it requires internal resources to manage the data center. The private cloud offers less independence, as you depend on the cloud provider for server maintenance, but it offers flexibility and scalability.

How to choose the right option for your organization?

The choice of the right hosting solution depends on the needs of your organization:

• If you want full control and physical security of your data and have the resources to manage a data center, the own data center option is ideal.

• If you need the benefits of the cloud but still want full isolation and security of your data, the private cloud is the right choice.

• If you work in an environment where internet is not always available or where you want to be fully independent of external networks, choose the stand-alone version.

No matter which option you choose, SecurEd ensures that you always have control over your data. You select the solution that best fits your specific security needs and working conditions.