The manufacturing industry is poised for digital transformation, in large part due to the continuing disruption caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Over a third of manufacturing CIOs affected by this disruption recognized that their operating cost competitiveness suffered over time. To repair their organizations’ flexibility and increase agility for the future, manufacturers are turning to digital technologies. Going digital helps companies reduce costs and improve profitability while providing customers with an expanded and improved experience with their brands.
Standing in the way of cloud computing adoption are small or overburdened IT departments that can be easily overwhelmed by:
- Managing increases in Internet of Things (IoT) applications
- The proliferation of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environments
- An increase in cybercriminal activity aimed at the manufacturing industry
- Keeping legacy infrastructure working at capacity and updated
- Storage and safety of sensitive data
While these represent only a small portion of the concerns affecting manufacturers as they move toward digital transformation, if not addressed they could lead to failure to adopt — and adapt to — digital changes. To handle these issues and others, manufacturers are turning to third-party partners that offer cloud computing services. Cloud computing greatly simplifies the transformation process by leveraging the power of the internet to facilitate storage, increase security, and manage costs.
Cloud Computing for Manufacturers — What You Need to Know
In a nutshell, cloud computing allows companies to virtualize resources and services that offer the following features:
- They are delivered on a measured basis for predictable monthly bills
- They offer increased flexibility and scalability
- They are considered on-demand services
- They offer broad network access
- They offer shared resources
Most manufacturers implement cloud environments by choosing software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) or infrastructure as a service (IaaS). SaaS allows employees to access application that are stored on the internet using instrumented machines, mobile devices, or their desktop computer. PaaS provides the opportunity to rent virtualized production environments for the development of new applications without investing in equipment or software licenses. Finally, IaaS unlocks access to secure infrastructure that can infinitely scaled to respond quickly to evolving threats and business challenges and growth.
Benefits of adopting one or more cloud computing services
1. Ultimate Scalability for Better Competitiveness
If you are expecting an influx of new students and teachers or expanded classrooms to keep up with an increase in student population, you will need to consider bolstering your existing infrastructure. There are three main areas to consider:
2. Enhanced Security for Risk Management
There are three ways your manufacturing firm can leverage the power of cloud computing — through a private cloud, a public cloud, or a hybrid that uses both private and public environments. Importantly, the cloud services provider — an entity which focuses solely on providing leading-edge technology for cloud users — is responsible for security. As such, they typically have a robust infrastructure with many security fail safes such as encryption, access controls, and remote monitoring.
3. More Intelligent Decision Making
Cloud computing helps decision makers make smarter decisions by providing better intelligence through the use of data analytics and reporting. Better decisions lead to streamlined business processes. These, in turn, promote increased productivity and widespread cost reduction to place companies in a stronger competitive position.
CDS Can Bring the Power of the Cloud to Your Manufacturing Firm
Moving to the cloud can seem daunting, especially for smaller manufacturing firms. But this is exactly who will most benefit from the power of cloud services, so we have made it simple to get started.
Our team of cloud experts can assess your current infrastructure alongside needs and challenges to arrive at the perfect cloud strategy for your firm. We offer a comprehensive program that includes a wide range of services aimed at helping you stay competitive in a cost-effective and secure manner. From complete managed network services to leading-edge security and storage solutions, we have exactly what you need to build a robust, productive cloud environment.
Choose the cloud solution that will help your manufacturing firm thrive. Contact a CDS representative and bring the power of the cloud to your business today.
