5 Ways Cloud Technology can Transform Supply Chain Performance

Technology has become an inextricable part of modern business, and it has weaved itself into every business process, including the processes of supply chain management. Forward-looking business leaders are nowadays rapidly migrating their businesses into the cloud, in order to make all of the processes withing their supply chain as efficient and effective as possible, and in order to stay competitive in the years to come. Ultimately, the goal is to positively impact your bottom line through higher productivity and operational efficiency. 

With the new supply chain trends necessitating the need for growth-oriented companies to integrate innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality, as well as to facilitate cross-department collaboration and better manage their data, it becomes all the more important to integrate cloud technology into your system across the board. With all of that in mind, today we will be looking at the five key ways that cloud technology can help boost the performance of your supply chain.

Cloud resources scale with business growth

Scalability is one of the main advantages that cloud technology brings to the table for all businesses, especially companies that have to manage cumbersome supply chains and are experiencing rapid expansion. Needless to say, this requires meticulous management if you are to capitalize on your sudden growth. If you don’t scale your IT infrastructure along with the requirements and the expansion rate of your supply chain, you will invariably waste financial resources and allow productivity and company-wide efficiency to suffer as a result.

It’s important to note that expanding the resources of your IT department is not only a cost-intensive, but also a labor-intensive task that could drain your budget and still take months to implement if you’re unsure where to direct the bulk of your resources. By utilizing cloud computing, you’re able to avoid these obstacles by simply notifying your provider of your expansion and your new IT requirements, after which they will simply allocate resources to your cloud. 

Integration and onboarding are quick and painless

Tying directly into the problem of expanding your in-house IT infrastructure, it’s important to keep in mind that cloud technology is easy to implement and that the onboarding process can be swift and painless for your entire workforce. Unfortunately, this is one of the common mistakes that supply chain managers make when trying to optimize the efficacy of the supply chain as a whole, as integrating new software or expanding IT resources withing an on-site system can take weeks and months, after which comes the lengthy onboarding process and the need to train your employees.

Don’t allow your IT infrastructure to suffer, instead, consider migrating your operation to the cloud to expedite this process as a whole. Cloud integration can be a quick and stress-free process if you choose a reputable provider, and they can even guide you through the entire thing and help you migrate all of your data with ease. You can expect to have your new system up and running within a couple of weeks or less depending on the size of the project, your supply chain requirements, and the experience of the provider.

The cloud enables cross-department collaboration

One of the greatest benefits of cloud technology that supply chain managers should be aware of is that the cloud facilitates collaboration on all fronts. This is one of the key focus areas of experts specializing in cloud enablement services that emphasize a smooth transition onto the platform, and then optimize it to enable cross-department collaboration to improve business-wide efficiency, productivity, and of course, boost output. By working on a centralized platform, all of your departments will be able to manage and work on various projects together, which leads to a rapid increase in productivity and minimizes the risks of errors and setbacks.

On the other hand, cloud technology also allows you to collaborate seamlessly with all of your clients, customers, and industry partners to ensure a well-oiled supply chain. You can integrate all relevant actors into your system, and manage all of your relationships easily by also leveraging automation and all of the intuitive features that the cloud brings to the table. The result is a better CRM system and a more sustainable business model.
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Minimize financial expenditure as you grow

Another key reason why business leaders are migrating their operations to the cloud is to minimize extraneous expenses, contain costs as much as they can, and help build a more cost-effective supply chain. There is no denying that expanding an in-house IT infrastructure is a costly undertaking, but because cloud resources are available immediately, all system changes come with a lower price tag. Cloud providers are able to offer lower fees to their clients simply because they can cover the costs of these resources through numerous accounts, making it more cost-effective for you to run your business on the cloud over the long term than to struggle with the financial requirements of an in-house IT department.

The cloud facilitates data collection and reporting

On a final note, supply chain management relies heavily on data collection and actionable reporting. Given the amount of data that is constantly flowing around the online world, manual data collection and management has become an impossible task, which is why it’s important to leverage the computing power of the cloud and the features it provides for rapid data analysis and report creation. You can create actionable reports quickly and easily, which will help you make better business decisions and make your supply chain more efficient and effective as a whole.

Wrapping up

Supply chain management is a cumbersome task, which is why business leaders need to force their supply chain to evolve and improve with the trends in the industry. Using cloud technology will help you grow your supply chain on numerous fronts, and will ultimately allow your business to reach new heights of success.

Jolene Rutherford

Jolene Rutherford is a marketing specialist - turned blogger, currently writing for technivorz.com. Interested in digital marketing and new technology trends. Love sharing content that can help and mean to people.