This question brings back memories. For a previous B2B service I ran, we had a client in the manufacturing space with a very specific requirement: "do not touch the server unless it is absolutely critical."
It was a simple Node.js + PostgreSQL server running on a fire-walled on-premise machine. We let it run untouched for just over two years. No OS updates, no package updates. It was terrifying, but it was the client's explicit demand for stability over new features. The lesson was that "uptime" and "security" can sometimes mean different things to different customers.
For our new company, Markhub, we're on the opposite end of the spectrum. We run a modern CI/CD pipeline on a cloud infrastructure. We deploy multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day.
My takeaway is that the "right" answer depends entirely on the service's promise to the customer. For some, reliability means "it never changes." For modern SaaS like ours, reliability means "it's always improving and secure." The real challenge is building a system that can deliver both when needed—which is exactly what we had to architect for our first on-premise enterprise deal.
This question brings back memories. For a previous B2B service I ran, we had a client in the manufacturing space with a very specific requirement: "do not touch the server unless it is absolutely critical."
It was a simple Node.js + PostgreSQL server running on a fire-walled on-premise machine. We let it run untouched for just over two years. No OS updates, no package updates. It was terrifying, but it was the client's explicit demand for stability over new features. The lesson was that "uptime" and "security" can sometimes mean different things to different customers.
For our new company, Markhub, we're on the opposite end of the spectrum. We run a modern CI/CD pipeline on a cloud infrastructure. We deploy multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day.
My takeaway is that the "right" answer depends entirely on the service's promise to the customer. For some, reliability means "it never changes." For modern SaaS like ours, reliability means "it's always improving and secure." The real challenge is building a system that can deliver both when needed—which is exactly what we had to architect for our first on-premise enterprise deal.