How Cloud Services Are Revolutionizing Manufacturing

Cloud computing and backup services continue to revolutionize how we do business, across the board and in all industries. Here, we take a closer look at how cloud services are aiding the manufacturing sector in streamlining their operations and being more profitable. Cloud-based computing platforms such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are creating the economic space for massive growth and productivity. For instance, according to a 2014 IDC Manufacturing Insights survey, 49% of manufacturers in the Asia-Pacific region who responded to a recent poll indicated they were running cloud-based computing systems. Cloud computing can now be seen as responsible for unprecedented growth industry-wide, on a global scale.

Factors to Consider

IT experts as well as manufacturers in various industries, such as aerospace, recognize the importance of having sound, reliable cloud-based options. There are many factors in which cloud computing plays a part in trimming the fat and speeding up productivity, such as:

• Average time trimmed from months to days on strategic sourcing and supply chain planning
• Design of new supply chain networks possible with cloud services
• Scaling of manufacturing intelligence globally is optimized
• Lower cost and greater accuracy than scaling with legacy systems
• Real-time performance testing and quality control saves time and money
• Far better analytics and reporting accuracy

The Importance of SaaS Solutions

Saas (software as a service, or storage as a service) solutions functions remotely as a Web-based service allowing business organizations to access their ongoing business databases, for a generally lower-cost monthly fee than licensed applications charge. This is another segment of cloud computing that’s causing the manufacturing sector to take another look at how they do business – and even where and when. With remote cloud-based software services, an automobile manufacturer, for instance, could do all his business with a smartphone or tablet which has permissions to access his cloud computer storage. This allows the business owner or manager to transfer files from a remote location to another remote location, and likewise grant special permissions to share said data, likely with an associate of some kind.

Who Has Time for the IT Infrastructure Business?

This is a question rhetorically asked by nearly every manufacturing manager or even CEO on the planet. Manufacturing mavens are too busy with managing their daily operations to devote any significant amount of time and attention to running their IT infrastructure. This is precisely why you need to leave it to an outsourced IT department, i.e. a managed services provider (MSP) who will strategize and watchdog your company’s IT networks with an eagle’s eye for detection, assessment, and prevention of data center security threats.

Getting Your Head in the Cloud

The abstract nature of cloud computing makes some manufacturers nervous, as they’re used to dealing with hard, concrete realities and solutions. But, what they may not understand is that it is the very abstraction of cloud computing that ensures its efficacy in keeping business continuity and operations rolling in time of disaster. You may call it dependable abstraction, as you dial in things like data encryption, password protection, SQL injection and cyberattack prevention, and a host of other all-too-common occurrences in this age of cyber “espionage”. Only a seasoned IT expert can evaluate, diagnose, and remedy the cybersecurity woes of a given IT network and provide tailor-made solutions that govern your day-to-day network operations, and implement plans subjected to rigorous testing.

The Time for the Cloud is Now

If you’re going without cloud computing services, you’re missing out on streamlining and cutting costs as you increase data backup and protection. Raleigh IT Support Company and IT Services Provider | CSP Inc. is the leader in providing managed IT services in Raleigh.  Have questions?  Call (919) 424-2000 or send us an email at info@cspinc.com.