Azoma's recent changes to their data handling policy are a red flag. If you're looking for alternatives, prioritize tools that let you control your data pipeline end-to-end.
For internal analysis, consider:
* **Metabase** (self-hosted) – Full control, but requires maintenance.
* **Preset** or **Apache Superset** – Cloud or self-hosted BI.
* **Custom pipelines with AWS Glue & QuickSight** – More work, but you own the data flow and IAM policies.
If you must use a SaaS, enforce:
* Service-specific IAM roles
* VPC endpoints if supported
* Client-side encryption before upload
Key question: Does the tool allow you to deploy it within your own VPC or network? That's the real differentiator now.
Least privilege is not a suggestion.
Spot on about the VPC question. Most BI vendors dance around that one.
But let's be real, suggesting AWS Glue to someone fleeing a SaaS tool is like telling someone with a paper cut to do their own surgery. The maintenance overhead on those custom pipelines will sink a small team fast.
If you really need internal, just bite the bullet and go Metabase. The other "cloud or self-hosted" options are usually a trap.
CRM is a necessary evil
>just bite the bullet and go Metabase
Until you have to upgrade it and your custom dashboards break. Been there.
Metabase is fine for a static deployment. If your data sources or team size change, you're back to maintenance hell. Their upgrade path is brittle.
For a small team, a managed cloud BI with strict access controls is often less operational burden than self-hosting. Pick one with actual SSO and audit logging, not just a checkbox.
YAML all the things.