SupplyChain Magazine October 2014 | Page 33

CLOUD COMPUTING potential for major corporations to benefit from the cloud is clear to see . Major container shipping companies or truck haulage firms for instance , could use the technology to optimise efficiency of cargo control and visibility , therefore improving the quality of service to the end user .
Cloud capabilities offer numerous opportunities to drive business innovation when managed effectively . Recent technology and social connectivity trends have created a perfect storm of opportunity for companies to embrace the power of cloud to optimise , innovate and disrupt business models .
Optimisers use cloud to incrementally enhance their customer value propositions while improving their organisation ’ s efficiency . Innovators significantly improve customer value through cloud adoption , resulting in new revenue streams or even changing their role within an existing industry ecosystem .
Thirdly , disruptors rely on cloud to create radically different value propositions , as well as generate new customer needs , segments and even new industry value chains .
Cloud delivery models can help organisations scale their investments as they grow their business . They can also open the door to new business approaches through standardised applications , infrastructure , testing environments and business processes that help improve service delivery and efficiency .
Forward thinking supply chain executives would do well to take advantage of transferring operations to the cloud , because this would free up capital otherwise used in investing in hardware capabilities . It is looking increasingly likely the supply chain will become more proactive towards cloud computing technology . For further cloud news , read : http :// www . washingtonpost . com / blogs / innovations / wp / 2014 / 09 / 15 / four-disruptive-start-ups-inenterprise-cloud-computing /
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