It seems that everywhere you turn you hear about “the cloud,” or “cloud computing.” There is a reason for this; the revolutionary deployment model has demonstrated that it delivers more value and innovation at a faster rate and a lower cost.
You hear about the cloud on TV, you hear about the cloud at work, and even companies that traditionally aligned themselves with on-premise solutions realize that in order to deliver the most value to business, they must consider the cloud in their overall strategy.
Cloud applications are not a one-size, fits-all “silver bullet.” Cloud applications are best suited for environments that are highly specialized, constantly changing, require visibility and demand integration with other entities.
Global trade and supply chain management fit squarely into the above setting. In order to successfully manage in our industry, one must ensure collaboration and visibility across the supply chain. One must also stay up to date on the constantly changing environment and regulations across the world. This cannot be done by periodically uploading updates to an on-premise solution and trying to prioritize integration efforts to government entities and supply chain partners when most corporate IT departments are taxed with various other priorities.
Over the past few years, cloud solutions have proved to be an optimal way of gaining visibility and control of trade. As they have gained momentum, they have also increased in functional sophistication and deployment ease, making the business case for the cloud more relevant than ever.
In the year ahead, expect to hear more success stories regarding the deployment of cloud solutions in global trade and supply chain management. Living in the cross-section of two very constrained industries — global trade and IT — the business case for leveraging best of breed cloud solutions will continue to grow.
Tom Barnes, Chief Executive, Integration Point