On-Premise Server Administration
Not every application belongs in the cloud. We bring years of experience in dedicated server administration and find the right hosting solution for every project.
Before cloud computing became the standard, administering dedicated servers was the foundation of every IT infrastructure. Parlant GmbH started there — setting up, maintaining, and securing dedicated servers for the applications we built ourselves. This hands-on experience with physical and virtual server environments remains an important part of our offering today.
Not every application belongs in the cloud. For many scenarios — from industrial controls and regulated data processing to latency-sensitive applications — dedicated servers still offer advantages that no cloud infrastructure can fully replace.
When Is On-Premise the Right Choice?
Cloud computing offers flexibility, scalability, and a dynamic cost structure. Dedicated servers, on the other hand, excel where different priorities take precedence:
- Predictable costs — With consistent resource requirements, dedicated servers are often more cost-effective than comparable cloud instances. There are no variable billing surprises.
- Maximum control — Hardware, operating system, network configuration, and security policies are entirely in the operator’s hands. Updates and patches are applied on your own schedule.
- Data sovereignty — Data never leaves your own domain of responsibility. For companies that want to avoid the US CLOUD Act and similar risks, this is a decisive advantage.
- Latency and performance — Applications requiring minimal latency or direct hardware access benefit from dedicated environments without virtualisation overhead.
We see cloud and on-premise not as opposites, but as complementary tools. The right decision depends on the specific use case — and that is exactly the decision we make together with our clients.
Our Experience with Linux and FreeBSD
Our roots in server administration reach back to the beginnings of our consulting work. We hosted the applications we built ourselves from the very start — and gained extensive experience with Unix-based operating systems:
Linux — From Debian and Ubuntu Server through CentOS to Alpine Linux for containerised environments. We administer Linux servers in production with a focus on stability, security, and automation. Systemd, firewall configuration, log management, and monitoring are part of our standard repertoire.
FreeBSD — An operating system used in many critical infrastructures, distinguished by its stability, security model, and outstanding network performance. We deploy FreeBSD in environments that place particular value on reliability and long-term maintainability.
In both cases, we work with infrastructure-as-code approaches to keep configurations reproducible and traceable — a principle we also apply consistently in our cloud projects.
How Do We Secure Dedicated Servers?
Securing server environments is a central part of our work and follows the same principles that guide our approach to data protection and security:
- Minimal attack surface — Only the services actually needed run on the system. Unnecessary ports, protocols, and software packages are removed.
- Encryption — Communication between services takes place exclusively over TLS/mTLS. Data is encrypted at the disk level. Details of our encryption strategy can be found in our principles article.
- Access control — SSH access via keys only, no password authentication. Privileged operations are executed via sudo with comprehensive logging.
- Automated updates — Security patches are applied automatically, with defined maintenance windows for critical systems.
- Monitoring and alerting — System metrics, log anomalies, and availability are continuously monitored to detect problems early.
Application Hosting
Beyond server administration itself, we handle hosting for the applications we develop. This covers the complete chain from deployment through operations to monitoring:
- Deployment pipelines — Automated build and deployment processes that follow our pragmatic development methodology.
- Database administration — Setup, tuning, and backup of PostgreSQL, MySQL, and other database systems. Regular backups with verified recovery.
- Reverse proxy and load balancing — Configuration of nginx or HAProxy for high availability and SSL termination.
- Container orchestration — Where appropriate, we use Docker and Compose for isolating and managing services — even on dedicated servers.
Practical Examples
bdtronic Plantronic — The industrial planning software Plantronic is operated on dedicated servers that meet the specific requirements of the industrial environment. The combination of self-developed software and self-administered infrastructure enables maximum control over the entire stack.
For projects where scalability and dynamic resources are the priority, we recommend cloud computing. Often, a hybrid architecture emerges in which time-critical or regulated components run on-premise while elastic workloads are moved to the cloud. We find the right balance for every project.