Manufacturing is entering a new age in which automation goes beyond robotic arms on shop floors. From cars to smartwatches, today’s manufacturers use many of the same cloud-based technologies that white-collar businesses, like law firms, do.
It seems like manufacturers are being driven to the cloud by three major forces: sensitive data, secure storage and collaboration. Read on to learn more about the cloud.
The Great Equalizer
Manufacturers should be thinking in the cloud, says Ted Hill, the global business development director for Rockwell Automation in an article for Industrial IP Advantage. Smaller operations can greatly benefit, since putting data in the cloud is far less expensive than trying to manage data on the ground. It can save as much as 54 percent on technical spending, according to Pat Garrehy of Rootstock Software, writing for Industrial Maintenance and Plant Operation.
In many ways, the cloud is a great equalizer for manufacturers who can’t afford the technology and personnel to manage IT and security. Additional benefits come from easy access to data, the ability to move data around if a threat is detected and a robust, competitive environment for cloud customers.
Not All Cloud Providers Are Alike
There are actually three kinds of cloud providers:
- Public providers, such as Amazon and Google, that sell space to individuals and businesses on a shared platform
- Hybrids, in which a public provider sections off space for exclusive use by one company
- Private providers run by large companies for their own use
For more information, the review site Top10CloudStorage includes overviews of each type of cloud provider as well as independent reviews of different providers.
5 Places Where the Cloud Outperforms the Ground
So, where exactly does the cloud offer an advantage to manufacturing?
- The cloud has better security. Data security is a huge concern for businesses. And although there have been some major breaches this year, Hill in Industrial IP Advantage claims that cloud programs that use standard IPs (Internet protocols) are strong. Problems tend to arise with customization. Plus, chances are that cloud naysayers don’t realize how much of the company (payroll, benefits administration, etc.) is already in the cloud.
- Cloud systems allow remote access to data. Freeing your employees from an office system in a single location lets the company hire and collaborate with the best talent, even if they aren’t in the same location.
- Cloud systems are scalable. Cloud systems can quickly respond to a request for more data space, can transfer data and can reduce the amount of space required to save businesses money.
- The cloud improves resource allocation. In a Forbes article, manufacturing sales managers rave about how cloud-based data allows them to allocate materials they need for suppliers and distributors in real-time and lets them respond to tight time-to-market schedules.
- Cloud technology is app friendly. Sales staff love their mobile devices and apps, notes Information Age. Cloud technology welcomes apps because they serve as a type of security control by scanning apps for weak spots. In fact, by restricting data to the cloud, a company with a strong provider can be assured that weak links from the BYOD (bring your own device) crowd are blocked until they are properly upgraded and meet security requirements.
