Deciding where to store your business data shouldn’t feel like a tech exam. Many small businesses comparing cloud storage to local servers in Canada face the same questions: How sensitive is your data? Do you need people to access files from anywhere in Canada or around the world? Do you prefer predictable monthly costs, or do you want full control over your systems? 

Here’s a straightforward guide to help you choose the best option for your business, along with two real-world examples of companies offering similar products that took different approaches

What Each Option Actually Gives You

Cloud storage means your files live in someone else’s data centre, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, or a managed provider. It’s great for flexibility. You can scale up or down easily, employees can work from anywhere, and the provider handles updates and much of the maintenance. The trade-offs are ongoing monthly fees, reliance on a stable internet connection, and trusting a third party with part of your security and data location.

On-premises storage means your servers live at your office or in a location you control. You own the hardware and manage security and backups, so you decide how to back up business records and where to store them. That gives you maximum control and predictable performance within your local network, but it also means larger upfront costs, regular maintenance, and responsibility for disaster recovery.

At Joe Apps, we provide expert advice and Cloud Services to help businesses evaluate cloud and on-premises options. Our team works closely with you to assess your needs and deliver a solution that supports how your business operates.

Two Short Stories: Same Product, Different Needs

To see how cloud vs. local storage works in real life, let’s look at two fictional examples of accounting firms that took different paths with their data storage.


Cloud: Coastline Accounting (small, remote-friendly firm)

The fictional Coastline Accounting offers bookkeeping and tax prep for freelancers across Canada. Their team works from home and often meets clients over video. They chose cloud storage because everyone needs fast, secure access to the same files from different locations and devices. 


During tax season, the Joe Apps team helped them scale storage and computing power without buying new hardware. One afternoon, their office internet went down, so one of the accountants went to a coffee shop, logged into the cloud, and finished a client file from her phone. 

The cloud suited their flexible workflow and their budget, offering predictable monthly costs and very little in-house IT work.

On-Premises: Harbour Accounting (boutique firm with high-profile clients)

The fictional Harbour Accounting also offers bookkeeping services, except that their clients are wealthy people who want complete control over their personal information. The partners decided to store all sensitive data on a secure server in their office, with locked access and a dedicated IT specialist managing it. 

Our team at Joe Apps explained the higher upfront costs – Harbour accounting preferred this, because owning the infrastructure gave them confidence during audits and helped reassure clients. When a local power outage once took down the area’s Internet, Harbour’s team was still able to access their local servers and complete urgent work thanks to on-site systems and backup power.

Some Questions to Help You Decide

Ask yourself these questions when choosing between cloud vs. on-premises storage options: 

  • Need remote access and flexible scaling? Cloud likely wins.
  • Handle extremely sensitive or regulated data that requires full control? On-premises might be better.
  • Want lower upfront costs and less day-to-day IT work? Cloud.
  • Can you afford hardware and IT staff while also maintaining full control over your software and security? If so, it might be worth the investment to learn how to build a server for your office. 
  • Concerned about internet outages? On-premises offers local availability, while cloud solutions need a solid backup plan.

Want both? A hybrid setup lets you keep your most sensitive data in-house and move everything else to the cloud. 

Joe Apps can help you choose the right setup for your business, whether that means cloud storage, an on-premises server, or a mix of the two. Get in touch with a Joe today to start planning a smarter, more secure storage strategy.