There is something reassuring about a server you can physically point to.

It is in your building. Your team controls it and your data is not sitting somewhere vaguely described as “the cloud”. For a freight business managing customer records, customs information, financial data and shipment documents, keeping everything close can feel like the responsible choice.

Physical proximity, however, is only one part of security. Both on-premises and cloud systems carry risk. The more useful distinction is where responsibility lies, how consistently the system is maintained, and whether it can recover when something goes wrong.

“Security is not simply about where the server is located. Freight businesses need to understand who is responsible for maintaining the system, controlling access, protecting backups and restoring the service if it is disrupted” explains Jon Wood, Managing Director of Verso Waves.

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What on-premises really means

With an on-premises system, the software runs on infrastructure the business maintains, usually in its own office or a local data centre. When well-managed, this can be highly secure and gives the business direct control over its hardware and the location of its data.

That model may suit a company with unusual regulatory requirements, unreliable internet connectivity, or an experienced internal IT team that can maintain a secure, resilient environment. However, direct control also entails direct responsibility.

Servers and network equipment must be maintained. Security patches must be applied promptly. User access must be updated when employees join, change roles, or leave. Backups must be protected and tested. The business needs a credible response to hardware failure, fire, flooding, theft, ransomware and the loss of the person who understands the system.

Keeping a server inside the building does not remove those risks. It also keeps responsibility for managing them within the building.

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Why local does not mean isolated

An on-premises system can still connect to office networks, email,remote-access tools and external services. It can still contain unsupported software, weak passwords or backup drives connected to the same network as the live system.

Routine maintenance is also part of security. The US Cyber security and Infrastructure Security Agency advises businesses to keep their software updated and replace unsupported legacy systems. Its ransomware guidance also recommends maintaining protected backups and regularly testing recovery arrangements.

These are not one-off purchases or occasional IT projects. They are ongoing responsibilities for as long as the system remains in use. As hardware ages and knowledge narrows to a single employee or supplier, a locally hosted system can develop dependencies that only become apparent when something fails.

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What changes in the cloud

Cloud software changes how those responsibilitiesare divided. In a traditional on-premises environment, the freight business manages the full technology stack. With Software as a Service, the provider manages much more of the application and the underlying infrastructure.

The customer still has an important role. It must choose an appropriate service, manage its users, configure the system responsibly and decide what data it holds. The National Cyber Security Centre describes this as the shared responsibility model.

The difference is that a capable cloud provider canfocus specialist resources on maintaining infrastructure, keeping theapplication current, monitoring the service and responding to threats. Backupand recovery arrangements can also span multiple locations, reducing relianceon a single server or site.

Those benefits are not automatic. The NCSC warns that simply moving an existing local system into the cloud can carry its weaknesses into the new environment. The software and its infrastructure must be designed to take advantage of the cloud's resilience and security features.

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The questions freight businesses should ask

Cloud should never be treated as shorthand for security. A poorly configured service can expose data. A weak password can still be compromised, and an employee can still receive more access than their role requires. The business also depends on a reliable connection and on its provider's capability.

A prospective customer should understand where its data is stored, how access is controlled, how backups are managed and tested and what security oversight is in place. The NCSC cloud security principles also recommend understanding the countries and legal jurisdictions involved, who can access the data, and the redundancy and recovery arrangements.

These are not reasons to avoid cloud software. They are the questions that distinguish a credible cloud service from one that merely uses the label.

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How Verso Waves approaches cloud solutions

“At Verso Waves, customer data is held in multiple secure data centres certified to ISO 27001. The distinction matters. The data centres’ ISO27001 certification provides assurance that their information-security controls align with an internationally recognised standard. Storing data across multiple locations supports resilience and disaster recovery" adds Jon Wood

Regular backups are only part of the answer. Restore testing confirms data can be recovered when needed, and on going security audits help keep security an active process rather than a statement made when the system is first implemented.

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Why cloud usually makes more sense in the long run

Freight operations rarely stay in one place. Teams work across offices, warehouses, ports and from home. Customers and partners expect information quickly, shipment volumes fluctuate and the systems supporting the operation must keep people, processes, and data connected.

A cloud-based freight platform suits that reality. Authorised users can access the same up-to-date information wherever they are, while the provider maintains and improves the service centrally. Capacity can scale without the customer investing in additional servers, and updates can be introduced without every business having to organise and manage its own local upgrade.

On-premises software can remain the right choice for businesseswith specific local requirements, unreliable connectivity, or an experienced internal IT team that can maintain a secure, resilient environment. For many freight businesses, however, cloud software offers the stronger long-term option - not because it is immune to attack, but because responsibility is shared with a provider equipped to maintain the service, respond to evolving risks and build resilience into its infrastructure.

The safest system is not necessarily the one closest to you. It is the one whose risks are understood, whose responsibilities are clear and whose recovery arrangements have been tested before they are needed.

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