What Are the Benefits of Cloud Software?

In the world of manufacturing, continuous improvement is necessary to remain competitive. Many manufacturers are optimizing their performance by migrating their software investments off site and into the cloud. By taking a cloud-first approach to business management, manufacturers are using faster, more agile technology to drive dynamic changes. Today we discuss the role that manufacturing in the cloud can play in transforming your business performance.

Rapid Deployment

An increasingly competitive and restricted manufacturing environment has created new adrenaline in the C-Suite to prioritize the limitation of waste and increase sustainability faster than ever before. This often calls for the implementation of change management principles, new social responsibility and the eradication of legacy, on-premises ERP solutions.

Using a cloud-centric approach to manufacturing provides businesses with a faster implementation time. Without requiring extensive hardware installations, cloud infrastructure can be deployed quickly with minimal disruption to transactions and operations. A cloud-first strategy also lessens the number of internal IT resources to be pulled from critical responsibilities to aid in the implementation.

With a rapid, cost-effective deployment, businesses can begin realizing ROI much sooner. Cloud computing enables manufacturers to gain a proven infrastructure that addresses identified processes, tracks needs and facilitates data visibility in no time. 

Optimized Business Strategies

Industrialists have been seeking a solution to improve customer satisfaction, alleviate overproduction and tap into new demand. Such a tall order can only be filled with cloud computing. Cloud-hosted ERP and CRM introduce new capabilities from end to end of your manufacturing business. 

For example, cloud technology enables manufacturers to become IoT enterprises, compiling real-time data from sensors embedded in machines. With insights from your machines collected and analyzed in your ERP, you can always keep tabs on overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and discover profound ways to increase revenue and decrease costs. 

Sales teams can also leverage cloud software to capitalize on more opportunities. Cloud CRM enables sales reps to access and edit front-end data from their mobile devices, making them productive wherever they do business. When meeting with prospects, they can instantly pull up information to answer any of their questions and get closer to winning deals.

No matter how big your data gets, your cloud software can keep up without requiring technical work on your end. That empowers manufacturers to continue leveraging insights from data to reduce bottlenecks, cut waste and make new sales. 

Lower Maintenance Costs 

Modern cloud software enables IT departments to spend more time focusing on performance data and user inquiries and less time quantifying software capacity disasters. Cloud infrastructure is a much cheaper, scalable and reliable solution for businesses. There is no turnover of hardware, saving a company from paying the standard 25 percent hardware maintenance premium year after year.

Generally IT teams are left with more work than bargained for when configuring business systems in house, due to the hardware and networking components of many projects. This inevitably bottlenecks the department and often disrupts operations in the business. Furthermore, IT departments that still host legacy software become overwhelmed with the required continual care. Often times they are stuck with the tedious tasks of installing updates, managing middleware and troubleshooting. This leads to the purchase of additional capacity or middleware licenses on an ongoing basis.

If an IT department is managing test environments and general data as well as executing migrations, key performance data will most likely fall through the cracks, leading to mistakes and lackluster performance. Cloud-based software reduces the stress, time and error that can come with outdated and in-house systems. 

Wrap Up

At an affordable cost and within a reasonable timeline, manufacturers can implement cloud software that maximizes the value of their data. With a modern, hassle-free solution, manufacturers have the power to take their enterprise performance to the next level.

Datix knows that cloud-based systems are the future, so we offer cloud and on-premises versions of Epicor ERP, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. Additionally, with our Unity integration solution, we can connect your software into a single source of truth, whether your systems are hosted in the cloud or on site. Unity seamlessly syncs data between your platforms to maintain a high level of precision and foster end-to-end productivity.

For more information about manufacturing in the cloud, contact our consultants today!

{{cta(‘770c1544-d87d-4acb-9fc4-7a25e1385094′,’justifycenter’)}}