Profanity Filter – SaaS or On-Premise?
- By Mike Moloughney
- CleanSpeak, Business, Strategies, Products
- September 1, 2015
There are a few items to consider when deciding on whether to go the route of implementing a SaaS option or an On-Premise option for a profanity filter. There is no right or wrong choice in this matter, simply what works best for your needs.
First let’s make clear what the SaaS and On-premise solutions offer:
SaaS
This is a shared, “multi-tenant” instance that is hosted by the profanity filter vendor. There is no installation required by the client. You simply integrate your product, send content through the filter, receive the appropriate response and define what action you want taken.
On-Premise
This is a dedicated instance specific to each client. Note that there is a misconception that on-premise means that you have your own physical servers and install the filtering software on that equipment. That is certainly an option, but if you host your product in the cloud then you can certainly set up an “on-premise” filter in that same cloud. Many clients choose to go this route as it does not require purchasing any physical equipment.
Some items to consider when reviewing the SaaS vs. On-Premise profanity filter options:
Do you require software to be installed on your own equipment to meet internal InfoSec requirements? If so, on-premise is your only solution. Many large companies fall into this category.
Will you need to have the ability to modify the blacklist of bad words & phrases? If you feel that the standard list will not be sufficient for your needs then on-premise is the recommended route.
Are you bringing a new product to market? If you are just starting out, the SaaS profanity filter option is your best bet. Your content will most likely be low and you will be able to keep your out of pocket expenses down while you build your user base.
Performance
Many companies are often concerned that performance will suffer by using a SaaS option. This is often NOT the case. An intelligent, well-designed profanity filter can handle an extremely high volume of requests with minimal latency. Just be sure you verify that there are no limitations on concurrent connections or number of domains.
There is a “hybrid” option that is also available. If you would like or need to have your own instance but do not want to deal with the hassle of installing, maintaining and monitoring the software, your filter vendor can handle all of this work for you.
In summary, there are a few details to take into consideration when deciding between a SaaS and an On-Premise profanity filter offering. If you have any questions regarding your specific needs please contact us and we’ll be happy to provide our thoughts.