nonhosted

Nonhosted refers to software, services, or infrastructure that is not hosted by a third-party provider but instead runs on premises or on infrastructure controlled by the user or organization. In contrast, hosted solutions are delivered over the internet by an external provider and the provider manages hosting, maintenance, and uptime. The term is commonly used to distinguish self-hosted or on-premises deployments from cloud-based services such as software as a service.

In information technology, nonhosted deployments include self-hosted or on-premises applications, databases, and collaboration or productivity tools installed and managed by the user. These arrangements may run on organization-owned servers, private cloud environments, or dedicated hardware. The degree of control over configuration, security policies, and data residency is typically higher in nonhosted setups.

Advantages of nonhosted solutions often include greater control over data and security practices, the ability to customize software to specific needs, and reduced dependence on external vendors for architectural decisions. They can also help address data sovereignty or compliance requirements. However, they usually require more in-house expertise, higher initial and ongoing costs, and responsibility for maintenance, updates, backups, and disaster recovery.

Choosing a nonhosted approach involves weighing total cost of ownership, internal capabilities, uptime and performance requirements, security posture, and regulatory obligations. While nonhosted models can offer flexibility and control, they may not be suitable for organizations seeking rapid scalability or minimal IT management.

Related concepts include self-hosted and on-premises solutions, as well as cloud-hosted services and SaaS.