Cloud computing is no longer a question “if” or even “when”, but a “how”

Cloud Computing is the provision of a variety of different services over the internet. Rather than companies having to purchase, use and maintain physical servers and data centres that are difficult to use and access, they can instead use the cloud. When it comes to running a business, following the latest technology trends will keep you a step ahead of your competition and help you manage operations and cut down costs.

1- Challenges

If it was not clear before 2020, it is certainly clear now: supply chain risks need to be better managed. The emergence of COVID-19 highlighted how supply chains were woefully unprepared for unexpected changes and lacked the ability to adapt to the new environment.

2- What is Cloud bringing to the table?

Cloud technologies bridge the gap between organisation and act as a force multiplier that allows for computationally intensive tasks to be performed and executed efficiently.

3- Why isn’t every supply chain completely hooked up to the Cloud already?

Due to existing legacy systems and isolated data, technological advancement in this space is being hindered. This is particular prevalent in global supply chains as they contain complex operations, spanning across countless facilities from manufacturers to suppliers prior to reaching the end consumer.

4- How do businesses with supply chain transition to Cloud Computing?

Today, merely having information on the cloud is not enough. Companies must establish clear objectives, output quality data and have the processes in place that get the most out of the cloud’s functionality. Data is the building block to start a digital transformation process at every stage of the supply chain. In the event of failure, the root cause will likely be bad data.

5- What is the future of cloud in supply chain management?

The evolution of the cloud is already bringing change on many levels, but today we are still in the early stages – and most supply chains are only just beginning to utilise these technological advances and use it as their primary tool. Supply chains have also started to utilise 5G, which will allow for communications to happen at high speeds that were not available a decade ago.