Cloud vs. On-Prem CAD: Hype, Hope, and the Hard Truth About Public Safety Tech

In the world of public safety technology, the question isn’t if we should innovate—it’s how. One of the loudest debates right now is the battle between cloud-based CAD systems and on-premise deployments. With agencies being courted by vendors promising “frictionless scalability,” “instant upgrades,” and “zero downtime,” the cloud sounds like a no-brainer.

But if you’re actually in the room where decisions are made—or worse, the one holding the bag when things break—you know it’s not that simple.

The Pitch: Why Cloud-Based CAD Sounds Like a Dream

Let’s start with the good:

✅ Lower upfront costs. Cloud-based CAD doesn’t require a big capital expense for servers, racks, HVAC upgrades, or physical space. It turns a giant check into a manageable monthly fee.

✅ Easier updates. In theory, your system is always current. No more “you’re three versions behind” conversations with your vendor.

✅ Remote accessibility. Great for disaster recovery, backup dispatch sites, and agencies without IT infrastructure.

✅ Vendor-managed uptime. No need for a full-time server engineer on staff—your vendor handles redundancy, patches, and scaling.

Sounds great, right?

But Here’s What They Don’t Tell You

Now for the less-sexy side—the real-world consequences that cloud vendors often skip in the sales pitch:

🚫 Interface maturity isn’t there yet. Many of the most critical integrations—AVL, RMS, state and federal databases, NG911, LPR feeds, jail booking systems—are still built with on-prem architecture in mind. Patching together hybrid solutions introduces risk and latency.

🚫 Latency and reliability can become a problem. Especially in rural areas, backup connections don’t always cut it. The cloud doesn’t help much when your agency is battling local infrastructure or limited ISP competition.

🚫 Loss of control over uptime and updates. On-prem agencies can delay updates until after hurricane season or a major event. In the cloud? Your vendor might decide for you.

🚫 Security concerns. Cloud CAD may be hosted in FedRAMP environments—but multi-agency configurations, shared tenants, or third-party API calls can create vectors for exposure. One weak link can open the door.

Cultural Readiness Matters More Than Infrastructure

We’ve consulted with agencies who thought the cloud would “modernize everything”—but struggled because their internal workflows, policies, interfaces, and IT posture weren’t ready for a shift in control.

Likewise, we’ve seen agencies make incredible use of cloud-based tools—but only because they spent time building the right governance before implementation.

The Middle Path: Hybrid May Be the Real Future

Here’s a truth most vendors won’t admit: a hybrid approach is often the most realistic today.

💡 Use cloud for non-mission-critical systems (training CAD, RMS query tools, analytics dashboards).

💡 Keep your live CAD core on-prem—or in a private cloud within the agency’s network perimeter.

💡 Push non-emergency public access (like online reporting) fully cloud-based to reduce internal load.

Final Word: Don’t Let Buzzwords Outpace Your Strategy

Cloud CAD isn’t bad. On-prem CAD isn’t outdated. What’s dangerous is making a decision based on a pitch instead of a plan.

If your vendor can’t walk you through interface roadmaps, failover logic, SLAs, and site-specific limitations, they’re selling you a vibe—not a solution.

Castleberry Public Safety Group was founded to bridge the gap between the solution and the strategy. We’ve led successful CAD transformations for agencies in Florida, Arkansas, Colombia, and beyond. We know how to translate the cloud pitch into on-the-ground reality—and when to pump the brakes.

If your agency is rethinking CAD, let’s have a real conversation—about your interfaces, your environment, and your people.

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