Build On-Premise Software You Own and Control

Build the custom software your business needs and keep it where it belongs: In your environment, over your databases, under your security. m-Power lets your existing team deliver on-premise web applications on a perpetual license, with no per-user fees.

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1,500+
Customers worldwide
Since 1981
45+ years in business
4.7/5
Rating on G2

What Is On-Premise Software?

Software you run in your own environment, over your own data, under your own security. Here is what that means, and why IT leaders are choosing it again.

The definition

On-premise software, defined

On-premise software runs on servers your organization owns and controls, inside your own data center or private cloud, rather than on a vendor's hosted infrastructure. The application and your data stay in your environment, under your security model and your authentication. You decide who has access, where the data lives, and when anything changes.

For years the industry treated cloud as the default and on-premise as the legacy option. That assumption is reversing. In a 2024 Barclays CIO survey, 83% of CIOs said they plan to move at least some workloads back from the public cloud (source). IT leaders are repatriating to regain control of their data, escape per-user subscription fees that climb every year, and reduce how much of their operation depends on a single vendor's roadmap.

The catch has always been building it. Custom on-premise applications used to mean a large development team and long timelines. That is the problem m-Power solves. m-Power is a low-code development platform that runs in your environment, over your existing databases, so a small IT team can deliver the applications the business keeps asking for, with everything under your control.

m-Power, your data, your security, and your sign-on all run inside your own environment YOUR ENVIRONMENT m-Power Your data Your security Your sign-on

On-Premise Software vs. Cloud (SaaS) Software

The difference comes down to who controls the software, where your data lives, and how you pay for it. Here is how on-premise software compares to cloud-hosted SaaS.

Cloud / SaaS Software On-Premise Software
Where it runsThe vendor's hosted infrastructureYour own servers, data center, or private cloud
Where your data livesIn the vendor's environmentInside your network, in your environment
Security and accessGoverned by the vendor's controlsYour security model and authentication
Cost modelRecurring per-user subscriptionOne-time perpetual license
Cost over timeClimbs as users and features are addedStays flat as you grow
CustomizationLimited to what the vendor allowsFull, down to the code with a platform like m-Power
If you stop payingYou lose access to the software and your dataYou keep the software you built
Best fitTeams that want fully managed, hands-off softwareTeams that need control, ownership, and data residency

Why Build On-Premise Software with m-Power?

m-Power runs in your environment, over your existing databases. It lets a small IT team deliver the custom applications the business keeps asking for, while keeping everything under your control.

Your data stays yours

Applications run over your databases, in your environment, using your authentication and security model. Sensitive data never has to leave your network.

You own it

m-Power is licensed once. The applications you build belong to you and keep running on your terms, with no recurring per-user fees as you grow.

Runs over your existing data

No data migration and no new data model to adopt. m-Power builds directly over the relational databases you already use.

Built by your team

A template-driven build process means a small team can deliver production-grade web applications, with as much custom code as you want to add.

No dead ends if you leave

m-Power generates standard code using the same technologies your developers already use. Applications can run and be maintained independently of the platform.

On-premise or private cloud

Run m-Power where it makes sense for you, in your own data center or a private cloud you control. The choice stays in your hands.

See it over your data: Get a Demo
“

This is a product I've been looking for, for 30 years. It checks every box that I wanted in a development environment.

Robert Reeder, CIO, Henley Enterprises

“

mrc is the reason we're able to operate as if we have our own in-house development team.

Dominique Molina, President & Founder, AICTP

“

Easily the best technology investment I've made in my 20+ year career.

John Perrin, CIO, Farner-Bocken

The Case for Keeping It On-Premise

Three reasons IT leaders are choosing on-premise software again, and how m-Power supports each one.

01 · Control

Keep control of your data

When your application is hosted by a vendor, your data lives in their environment and your governance depends on their controls. That is a hard position to defend when leadership, legal, or an auditor asks where sensitive information actually sits.

On-premise software keeps the answer simple. Your data stays inside your network, governed by the same security model you apply everywhere else. With m-Power, you decide exactly what each application can see and who can use it, because it all runs in your environment.

Data stays in your networkYour environment
Your security model and sign-onYour controls
You decide who sees whatRow-level
02 · Cost

Stop paying more every year

Per-user SaaS pricing looks reasonable on day one. Then headcount grows, premium features get added, and the bill climbs every renewal. The software you depend on quietly becomes one of your largest recurring costs, and leaving it means losing everything you built.

m-Power is sold on a perpetual license and supports unlimited users and applications. As you roll software out across the business, the cost doesn't climb. As an example, Sunstar replaced canned software with a custom m-Power CRM and saved around $120,000 a year in the process.

Users252,500
License costUnchanged
Sunstar saved ~$120,000/yearCustom CRM
03 · Fit

Build over the systems you already run

Off-the-shelf software handles most of what you need, then falls short on the parts that are specific to your business. That gap is where backlog piles up and shadow spreadsheets multiply.

m-Power fills the gap by building directly over your existing databases and ERP, with no migration and no altering the underlying system. It is also a practical way to modernize legacy systems without a rip-and-replace. You add the reports, portals, dashboards, and workflows your business is missing, and they run on-premise alongside everything else.

  • Reports and dashboards over live data
  • Portals for customers, partners, and staff
  • Workflows and approvals with a full audit trail
Reports and dashboardsAdded
Portals over existing dataAdded
Workflows and approvalsAdded

Software You Can Build Your Business On

mrc has built application development software since 1981. More than 1,500 companies worldwide run on m-Power, much of it on-premise, over the databases that keep their business moving. When you choose m-Power, you get a platform that stays in your control and a team that stands behind you.

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On-premise software: Common questions

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What is on-premise software?

On-premise software runs on servers your organization owns and controls, inside your own data center or private cloud, rather than on a vendor's hosted infrastructure. The application and your data stay in your environment, under your security model and your authentication.

SaaS software is hosted by the vendor and accessed over the internet, usually for a recurring per-user subscription fee, with your data living in the vendor's environment. On-premise software runs in your own environment, where you control the data, the security, and the infrastructure. m-Power is licensed once and runs on-premise or in a private cloud you control.

On-premise software lets you apply your own security model, authentication, and access controls directly, and keeps sensitive data inside your network. That control is why regulated and security-conscious organizations often prefer it. Security still depends on how the software and infrastructure are configured and maintained.

Yes. m-Power is a low-code platform that lets small IT teams build production-grade web applications over their existing databases using a template-driven build process. Both developers and non-developers can build with it, so a two or three person team can deliver applications that normally require a much larger group.

Yes, though fewer than you would expect. Some platforms offer a self-hosted option but still run your applications inside their own proprietary runtime, so you are hosting their engine rather than owning your software. m-Power installs on your servers, on Windows, Linux, or IBM i, or in a private cloud account you control, and generates standard HTML, JavaScript, and Java that runs on a standard application server. What it builds keeps running whether or not m-Power is still on the machine.

Many organizations are repatriating workloads from the cloud to regain control over data, cut recurring per-user costs that climb as they grow, and reduce dependence on a single vendor. On-premise software supports that shift by keeping the application and data in an environment the company owns.

Last updated: July 2026

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