In the 21st century, technology is rapidly evolving, but Airlines are constantly struggling with data related to airworthiness, manpower utilisation and operational cost . This is mainly due to traditional ways of managing information. Today Airlines require 24/7 access to data from various departments ( Maintenance hangar, airport , stores etc) in order to make timely decision for proper aircraft maintenance planning and optimise airline crew utilization to achieve competitive advantage over their peers.

Selection of an information management system (software) plays an important role in success of airlines. Even more than software , one must also consider whether a traditional approach i.e. On-Premise or Latest Cloud Hosting will serve the purpose for the Airlines.

Now let’s understand the scope of both the approaches:

On Premise : Management of computers, database software, data storage hardware, power backups,, upgrades , anti-virus security solutions, System Administrator etc for the software become responsibility of Airlines.

Cloud hosted: Software is hosted on a highly scalable platform which has all the required features like security , backup etc .So Airlines staff can concentrate on their core business of flying.

Let’s have a look at few pros and cons of cloud hosting and why it’s the best option for an aviation & aerospace industry.

Advantages of cloud hosting:

1) Cost Savings: Aviation organisation using cloud infrastructure can drastically reduce capex costs as they don’t have to spend huge amounts of money on purchasing and maintaining equipment. They don’t have to invest in hardware, software or building out a large data centre to grow their business. Even large IT teams to handle cloud data centre operations are not required because organisations can enjoy the expertise of their cloud service provider.

2) High uptime and availability: Cloud also reduces costs related to downtime. Since downtime is rare in cloud systems, this means aviation organisations don’t have to spend time and money on fixing potential issues related to downtime It can simply be transferred to another server if one goes offline.

3) Accessibility: With cloud hosting you can access your software/application system from any device at any geographic location with real time data.

4) Pay as you go: This cloud service can provide more flexibility and less hardware cost. There are no wasted resources as user only pay for services procured.

Disadvantages of cloud hosting:

1) 24/7 connectivity: Cloud computing is entirely dependent on internet. This direct tie-ups with internet, means organisation need reliable and consistent service along with high speed and bandwidth.

2) Limited control & Flexibility: Since the cloud infrastructure is entirely owned, managed & monitored by the service provider it transfers less control over to the customer.