# What is on-premise CRM? Keeping data in-house | Corex360 > On-premise CRM runs on the company's own server. Setup and updates then need a named owner, and security does not come by itself with the hardware. Source: https://www.corex360.com/en/blog/what-is-on-premise-crm Last updated: 2026-09-29 --- ![A woman in glasses opening a glass-door server cabinet in an office] On-premise # What is on-premise CRM? What keeping data in-house really means On-premise CRM runs on the company's own server. Where the data really lives, who keeps setup and updates, and why security does not come by itself. [Request a demo](https://www.corex360.com/en/contact?konu=bi#form) [Corex360](https://www.corex360.com/en) [Blog](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog) What is on-premise CRM? What keeping data in-house really means Contents - 01 What does on-premise mean, and how does it differ from cloud CRM? - 02 What exactly does keeping the data in-house mean? - 03 Who chooses on-premise, and when? - 04 Who keeps setup, updates, and backups? - 05 Does security come by itself with on-premise? - 06 How does on-premise work in Corex360? Ş **[Şevket Erer](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog#blog-hakkinda)** Co-founder, AI Specialist · Corex360 23 September 2026 Updated 24 September 2026 5 min read [In the glossary: On-premise](https://www.corex360.com/en/glossary#on-premise) [Modules](https://www.corex360.com/en/modules) [Solutions](https://www.corex360.com/en/solutions) On-premise CRM means the CRM software that holds customer records is installed and run on the company's own server or chosen infrastructure, rather than in the vendor's cloud. It is also called in-house or self-hosted CRM. An IT lead looks at it from the desk: where the data really lives, who does the setup and updates, and where it parts ways with the cloud option. ** 01. ## What does on-premise mean, and how does it differ from cloud CRM? ** Short answer On-premise means the software runs on your infrastructure; with cloud CRM the same software runs on servers the provider operates, and you connect to it from a browser. Cloud CRM and on-premise CRM | Topic | Cloud CRM | On-premise CRM | |---|---|---| | Where the software runs | On servers the provider operates | On the company's own infrastructure | | How users sign in | From a browser or phone | From a browser or phone | | Server, disk, and backups | With the provider | Under the company's control | | Updates | The provider's job | Someone has to take it on; the plan is written into the agreement | | Who it suits | A small company without an IT team | A company whose policy, regulation, or customer contract requires data in-house | Example scenario: Picture a textile manufacturer in Bursa. The group's policy requires customer and order data not to leave the company's infrastructure. The sales team needs a CRM, but IT will not approve the proposed cloud option. The debate stalls not on the software itself but on where it runs. The company is then left with two paths: give up on CRM, or run it on its own infrastructure. On-premise is the name of the second path. Mixed setups exist too; the application may run in one place and the files in another. Then the question "is it on-premise" is answered layer by layer. For the user the difference is often invisible: the salesperson still signs in from a browser or phone and opens the same customer card. The difference is behind the screen. Whose server is it, whose disk, who takes the backup, who applies updates? On-premise pulls the answers to these questions inside the company. ** 02. ## What exactly does keeping the data in-house mean? ** Short answer The database, the files, and the backups sit on infrastructure you control; you decide who accesses the data and where it is copied. Data does not sit in one place. There is the database with the customer records, the contract and quote files, and the backups of both. Saying "our data is in-house" means all of these layers are under the company's control. Some setups keep the database on your server while the backup goes somewhere else, so the question has to be asked for each layer. Keeping data in-house does not mean security on its own either. The server room may be locked, but if everyone signs in with the same admin account, who saw what is still unclear. One more question needs asking: can the data leave the server? If a user can export the customer list and send it to a personal email address, the server's location does not provide protection on its own. Exports and downloads have to be logged too. One answer should come from the agreement too: if the support team connects to your server remotely, when and with whose approval is that connection opened, and is it logged? ** 03. ## Who chooses on-premise, and when? ** Short answer On-premise comes forward when corporate policy, sector regulation, or a major customer's contract requires data to stay on the company's infrastructure. - The group's policy does not allow data to leave the company. - A public body or a major customer's contract specifies where the data must be kept. - The company already has a server room and an IT team that runs it. - Customer data is expected to stay on the same internal network as other systems. On-premise is not the right choice for everyone. For a small company without an IT team, the server's maintenance, power, and backups are an extra load; for such a company the cloud option usually means less work. The decision should start from policy and capacity, not preference. When deciding, put this question on the table: if this server stops one night, who brings it back in the morning? If the answer is a single name and nobody can stand in for that person, the on-premise decision is incomplete. ** 04. ## Who keeps setup, updates, and backups? ** Short answer With on-premise the server is yours; who is responsible for setup, updates, and backups should be written clearly in the agreement. There is a common trap with your own server: the software is installed and then nobody updates it. The version ages, security patches pile up, and eventually the software will not open on a new phone. This is an often overlooked difference between cloud and on-premise: in the cloud updates are the provider's job, while on your own server someone has to take it on. The Corex360 team applies updates on a plan written with you, and release notes are published openly on the What's new page. The plan is part of the [on-premise CRM installation](https://www.corex360.com/en/solutions/on-your-own-server) agreement. The headings to check in the installation agreement are clear: who prepares the server, on what plan updates are applied, where the backup goes, how a restore is tested, and whom to contact when something goes wrong. If these are not written down, the own-server option slowly turns into a server nobody owns. ** 05. ## Does security come by itself with on-premise? ** Short answer Security does not come by itself when the system sits on your own server; even with the data on your side, access logs, role-based permissions, encrypted backups, and alerts for unusual activity have to be set up separately. Example scenario: Think of a distribution company's server: the backup goes to an external disk in the same cabinet. If the cabinet floods, both are gone. Or a departed employee's account was never closed and nobody noticed. In both cases the data is in-house; in both cases protection is missing. Security has a continuity side too. Taking a backup is not enough; the restore has to be tested. A backup that has never been tested may not work as expected in a real failure. On your own server Corex360 runs with the same security layer as on Corex360 Cloud: sign-ins, devices, downloads, and permission changes are logged, and access is role-based; on your own server the backup location is yours. An unusual event is reported to the account owner at once. The whole layer is listed point by point on the [Corex360 security page](https://www.corex360.com/en/security). The value of an access log depends on who reads it. If the log is kept but nobody looks, an unusual download is noticed only when it is too late. That is why an alert routine is needed next to the log. ** 06. ## How does on-premise work in Corex360? ** Short answer Corex360 runs on your own server or in a company-specific space on Corex360 Cloud; the choice is written into the agreement, and the same security layer runs in both cases. The hosting decision is written into the Corex360 agreement. If a hosting change is requested later, it is handled in a contract conversation. In the demo we set the two options side by side against your own corporate policy. For users there is no visible difference between the two options: the same customer card, the same rules, the same morning report. You can read what the hosting choice means under KVKK (Turkey's data protection law) in the [cloud or own server under KVKK article](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog/kvkk-cloud-vs-own-server), through the concepts of data controller and data processor. ## Sources - [NIST, SP 800-145 The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (deployment models)](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/145/final) Last checked 24 September 2026 - [Personal Data Protection Authority, Guide on the Transfer of Personal Data Abroad](https://www.kvkk.gov.tr/Icerik/8143/Kisisel-Verilerin-Yurt-Disina-Aktarilmasi-Rehberi) Last checked 24 September 2026 ## How was this page prepared? - Written by: [Şevket Erer](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog#blog-hakkinda), Co-founder, AI Specialist - Sources: legislation, official body, and vendor information is taken from the primary sources in the Sources list on this page; each source shows the date it was last checked. - Product information: sentences about Corex360 rest on the company's product fact records; unconfirmed features are not written. - Use of AI: the Corex360 team writes the text; AI tools are used for drafting and translation. [Publishing principles](https://www.corex360.com/en/about#yayin-ilkeleri) - Dates: first published 23 September 2026 , last updated 24 September 2026 . [Corrections policy](https://www.corex360.com/en/about#duzeltmeler) ## Frequently asked ** 01 What is on-premise CRM? ** On-premise CRM means the CRM software is installed and run on the company's own server or chosen infrastructure rather than in the vendor's cloud. The database, files, and backups are under the company's control. ** 02 Are in-house CRM and self-hosted CRM the same thing? ** Yes, both describe an on-premise installation. Look past the label and ask where the database, files, and backups actually sit. ** 03 Is on-premise CRM required for KVKK? ** KVKK does not generally require data to be kept on a particular server; it governs how data is processed, protected, and transferred. Sector-specific regulations may add their own requirements. This answer is not legal advice. ** 04 Where should the backup go in an on-premise installation? ** Not in the same cabinet or room as the server, but in a separate location. The backup should be encrypted and restores tested regularly. On your own server the backup location is yours. ** 05 How does the support team connect to our own server? ** When and with whose approval a remote connection is opened, and whether it is logged, should be written into the installation agreement. A connection opened without approval or logging weakens the principle of keeping data in-house. ** 06 Can on-premise CRM be used from a phone? ** Yes; users sign in from a browser or a phone. What matters is how outside access to the server is opened; that access should also be protected by role-based permissions and logging. ✳ **See this problem solved in your own work** We listen to your business with a few short questions and prepare a live online demo with your channels. 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