Cloud migration offers so much more than just a way to cut costs. Though it can eradicate the expense of running an in-house data centre, beyond that, it has the capacity to help enterprises innovate like never before. Here, we look at the innovative opportunities that cloud adoption presents.
Wider collaboration
One advantage of using cloud technology is that it enables data to cross easily between international borders. While organisations do need to comply with regulations like GDPR, being able to share data means teams of experts can be assembled from across the world to collaborate on new and exciting projects. With advanced, cloud-based collaboration tools now available, teams can work more effectively and at a greater speed than ever before, regardless of where they are based.
Level playing fields
The cloud also dismantles the IT boundaries that have traditionally set large businesses apart from their rivals. Smaller enterprises, which are often more agile anyway, find that cloud adoption opens the doors to developing global projects previously unachievable with on-site systems. Indeed, the cloud has been used to great advantage by many unicorn startups, particularly those with app-based businesses and companies in Fintech.
It is not just upstart disruptors that have benefitted, however; the cloud has also let larger companies seize new opportunities too. Companies like Uber, for example, have penetrated not just into other countries but deep into the small towns where they are taking on long-established local businesses.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Innovation can also be enhanced through the Internet of Things (IoT) where an increasing number of items are able to connect and communicate in real-time over the Internet. This enables enterprises to operate in new, previously unimaginable ways. For example, a company can link IoT-connected machinery across all its different locations, wherever they are on the planet, and access the data they produce in the cloud from a single interface. This gives them far greater insight into their global operations and allows them to react to issues with greater speed. If production is affected at one site, for example, they are instantly alerted to it and can increase production at another site to compensate.
The internet of Things is also helping enterprises with their supply chain. With data consistently being sent to the cloud, businesses have real-time data about the location, availability and condition of raw materials and finished goods. Companies that rely on perishable materials, like foodstuffs, can use the IoT to ensure that items are transported and stored appropriately so as to reduce waste. This innovative approach is now widely used to track goods and not only saves money but helps improve sustainability as well.
The IoT also brings the possibility of innovative practices after items have been purchased by end-users. Modern IoT-enabled printers, for example, feedback to the manufacturer about ink usage and this has allowed companies like HP to start offering on-demand ink delivery services. Customers who sign up never run out of ink and pay for their cartridges via monthly subscriptions that work out cheaper than buying them from a third-party retailer.
The benefit of the cloud is that it makes it possible to connect all these devices to a single centralised system and does so in a financially affordable way.
New ways to innovate
Not only does the cloud allow companies to innovate; it has transformed the innovation process. Modern enterprises are more open and transparent in how they operate and are more willing to share development data. As a result, innovative processes involve collaboration with customers and other stakeholders and help better products and services be developed. The role of the cloud is that it enables the gathering and analysis of data from a wide range of sources, and it is this data that helps better products to be developed.
Omnichannel services
The modern, tech-savvy consumer has high expectations from the brands they choose to shop with, especially when it comes to customer experience. A key part of this is the desire for omnichannel services. Consumers want seamless, omnichannel shopping experiences where the boundaries between online and physical stores have been removed, and they want joined-up communications via their preferred channels.
Enterprises that provide omnichannel experiences make themselves highly attractive and this is driving CX innovation across the marketplace. Implementing this, however, requires the unification of business systems. Data and systems from physical stores, websites, mobile apps, customer service, inventory and accounts have to be combined and the only practical solution for achieving this is the cloud. With this in place, however, enterprises can deliver customer experiences, like personalisation and product recommendations, together with a wide array of innovative new products and services.
Conclusion
For enterprises wanting data-driven innovation, there are many advantages to adopting cloud technology. With the cloud providing tools like artificial intelligence, automation, big data analytics, IoT and machine learning, together with cost-effectiveness, security and high availability, the potential for innovation is enormous and affordable. For more information, visit Hyperslice.com.
