Project Server: Upgrade or Migrate to Online?

Project Server customers considering an upgrade should review the Project roadmap and evaluate the trade-offs between an on-premises deployment and migrating to Project Online. Customers should consider which path fits their organization, architecture, and planned use of SharePoint and Office 365, which are key drivers and dependencies for any Project deployment.

Key Considerations

Key considerations include the following:

Control and maintenance of the environment, customizations, and scheduling the pace of updates and upgrades is best served with Project Server on-premises. However, Project Server is technically connected to SharePoint Server, which can be a complex product to deploy and maintain, and it requires SQL Server for database and analysis services, as well as Windows Server, both of which are licensed and managed separately. By comparison, Project Online is attractive to organizations that prefer to let Microsoft handle the maintenance of server infrastructure, OS and application software patching, database management, and version upgrades. However, the service limits the level of customizations allowed, does not have all of the reporting and analysis features of Project Server, and requires ongoing subscription fees.