What is GEO, in plain terms?

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the work of getting your brand to show up, and be described correctly, when people ask an AI assistant for recommendations. It is like SEO, but instead of ranking on a Google results page you aim to be the business the AI names in its answer.

Why does this matter for my business?

More and more travellers and buyers ask tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or others for recommendations instead of scrolling search results. If the AI does not know you, or describes you wrongly, you will not be suggested and you will never see the booking you lost.

Which AI assistants do you work with?

The ones your customers actually use to decide, such as ChatGPT, Google's AI answers, Gemini and Perplexity. As new assistants become popular, we add them too.

Do I need to rebuild my website?

Most of the improvement comes from adjusting how your information is structured and described, and adding the right signals, on top of the website you already have.

TADI (Tourism AI Discoverability Index) is our scoring system. It measures how visible and how accurately represented your brand is across the main AI assistants, gives a single score from 0 to 100, and provides a prioritised list of what to fix first.

RaceMyDesk

racemydesk.com

← Back to the blog

AI Platform

Should your company's AI run in the cloud, or on your own servers?

It depends on your data and your control needs, not on fashion. The cloud is faster to start; your own servers give maximum control. The good news is you do not have to choose blindly, and a private setup is possible either way.

Bartomeu Gili Prohens
Founder & CEO • June 2026 • 4 min read

It is one of the first real decisions, and it is usually framed as a technical one. It is not. It is a question about control, sensitivity and how fast you want to move.

Cloud or on-premise is presented as a binary, but the honest answer is that both can be private and secure when set up properly. What actually differs is who holds the keys, how quickly you can start, and what you are willing to manage yourself.

What the cloud gives you

Speed and simplicity. You start quickly, you do not maintain hardware, and you scale without buying servers. For most teams this is the sensible default, provided the environment is private and your data is not used to train anyone's models.

What your own servers give you

Maximum control. The data never leaves your building, which matters for the most sensitive cases or where regulation demands it. The trade-off is that you take on more of the setup and upkeep, so it pays off when control is the priority.

How to actually decide

Start from your data, not the technology. If most of your use is everyday operational knowledge, a private cloud setup is usually right. If you handle highly regulated or extremely sensitive data, on-premise earns its cost. Many companies end up with a sensible mix.

Cloud or on-premise is not a question of fashion. It is a question of how much control your data actually demands.

Key takeaways

Both cloud and on-premise can be fully private when set up properly.
Cloud wins on speed and simplicity; own servers win on control.
Decide from your data sensitivity, not from the technology trend.
A mix is often the pragmatic answer.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cloud less secure than our own servers?

Not inherently. A properly configured private cloud keeps your data isolated and untrained-on. Security depends on the setup, not the location alone.

Can we start in the cloud and move later?

Yes. Many companies start in a private cloud for speed and move sensitive workloads on-premise as needs become clearer.

See how the AI Platform works

Private AI, deployed in the cloud or on your own servers.

Explore AI Platform

Found this useful? Share it.

Bartomeu Gili Prohens

Founder & CEO, RaceMyDesk

Building private, enterprise-grade AI for travel and hospitality. LinkedIn

RaceMyDeskby KWForce

Private AI, AI strategy and AI visibility for travel and hospitality.