Cloud computing has a great impact on a number of business sectors, some more prominently known than others. In a changing business dynamic, utilizing cloud computing to monitor the supply chain offers a robust solution that is able to track products through the entire lifecycle.
Protecting the supply chain is of the utmost importance in the best-case scenario in the business world. Trying to make it work during the Covid-19 pandemic, however, is an even more daunting task for global suppliers all the way to the retailers and customers they serve.
Utilizing cloud computing in the supply chain ideally helps better manage commercial inventory with real-time data. Businesses are able to closely analyze tracking logistics, whether a product is being shipped via ground freight, over the oceans, or in the air – and can also provide customers with enhanced service every step of the way.
Cloud Supply Chain in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era
There is no arguing it: the Covid-19 pandemic seemingly turned the world upside down. Many small businesses closed – some for good – and some schools are just now opening back up to in-person classes. There were a whole host of tragedies that we as a society cannot overlook, though this content is more related to the impact on the supply chain – and how cloud computing is helping get the world propped back up.
There were technology weaknesses revealed when Covid-19 began having a major impact on the world. Suddenly, global concern began with industries taken by surprise by unforeseen infrastructure weaknesses that weren’t glaringly obvious beforehand. Executives scrambled to properly equip their companies with proper tools able to help them to endure the first wave of the pandemic. However, very few businesses were capable of rolling out new cloud computing applications in a timely fashion, and that caused major business disruptions.
Since the pandemic first shut down the world, we saw the supply of certain products significantly drop, while the demand only increased. Finding methods to manage supply chain recovery as we move towards a post-pandemic world is still rather delicate, with companies working to ensure the logistical nightmares we saw in 2020 and 2021 can be avoided in future global disasters.
Although it’s going to take even more time, it’s unquestionable that the market has been markedly changed in ways that no one saw coming. If nothing else, the pandemic highlighted shortcomings in the global supply chain, which still suffers hiccups here and there. There are a number of industries expecting cloud computing spending increases in the future, aligned with their predicted business growth, as well. Markets such as paper products, chemical manufacturing, automobiles and auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, for example, must be able to keep their own material demands in check while also appeasing customers.
Cloud storage providers are seeing demand surges, sometimes multiplying in desired storage capacity, with customers demanding increased access, low latency, and guaranteed uptime.
Looking Ahead
The cloud supply chain can be supported largely by a hands-off approach that allowed many businesses to quickly scale operations online during the pandemic. Looking ahead, maintaining stability in a digital world is going to be a vital endeavor with very little room for any type of error. Companies with multiple locations spread across the United States – or world – must be able to keep their business operating in an efficient manner, so IT teams will be tasked with checking to ensure their infrastructure doesn’t suffer any downtime.
It’s important to carefully choose your business partners, which will allow for a seamless transition away from on-premise solutions and into an ever-increasingly digital world. Switching from in-house physical servers to online services can be complicated, with varying pricing models for computing, networking, storage, and other key components for cloud computing – but there are plenty of pay-as-you-go solutions available for those willing to do their own research along the way.
Final Thoughts
Cloud computing is a disruptive technology that has great ramifications for supply chain management, able to greatly push the vertical to new limits. While new players enter the supply chain, there is a growing need for more transparency and trust, new technology solutions, and added urgency to keep up with these growing times.
Even as we transition towards a post-pandemic world, cloud computing frameworks will not just go away. Rather, digital innovations will continue to be desired while companies strive to build trust among their own employees and customers, paired with vendors and organizations they are partnered with.
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