How the Cloud Promotes Collaboration Across Industries

Scientists and engineers regularly introduce new technological innovations, but none of them has had the same impact as cloud computing. A study covered by Information Week found that there will be an 18.4% growth in public cloud promotes end-user spending this year, eventually hitting a whopping $304.9 billion. Furthermore, it’s projected that the cloud will make up 14.2% of total global enterprise IT spending by 2024 — a giant leap from the 2020s 9.1%.

One of the main reasons organizations are warming up to the cloud is its collaborative features, which have plenty of uses across industries. So, let’s see some of them.

Retail

Whether it’s for a physical store or an eCommerce business, retailers can use cloud platforms to make various processes more efficient. For instance, the top shelf is an inventory management software that allows users to see what is still available in real-time. It lets the people behind the counter know what products they need to request more of. On the other end, the supplier can then process the request and update the inventory in real-time.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software like Microsoft Dynamic 365 and Salesforce are also cloud-operated. CRM tools host the customers’ data in one platform, granting sales teams an overview of their preferences, demographics, and more. It allows teams to work on strategies that may lead to more purchases. Other cloud tools like social media management tools, enterprise resource planning software and accounting software also help retail teams collaborate.

Manufacturing

The cloud plays a vital role in making the manufacturing process more streamlined. Technology has become more integral now that the supply chain is facing heightened demand. The CNBC reports that there’s even a huge chip shortage hurting companies that use semiconductors and other electronic components, like Sony and Chevrolet. It is because of the strong demand for chip-integrated products and not enough workforce to support their production.

However, things are becoming better with the cloud. For example, SyteLine’s platform synchronizes the manufacturer’s list of materials with customer orders to predict how many resources they need to meet demands. Meanwhile, Altium 365 fixes collaboration bottlenecks by putting all circuit design data in a centralized location. It allows design reviews to go much faster, leading to the more efficient production of electronics. It’s even equipper with the tools need to make the edits. So manufacturers don’t have to take designs out of the system. Other cloud platforms like IQMS MES and Bluestreak are also assisting the industry in their ways.

Education

In remote learning times, the cloud is one of the few ways that students and teachers can still collaborate and conduct classes. Dropbox, for instance, allows users to access files as long as they have its link. Which can make the submission of assignments much more comfortable than, say, email. Google’s online office suite tools, like Sheets and Docs, allow students to work on projects together. Even online communication platforms that schools use to conduct classes with Zoom and StarLeaf are all hosted on the cloud.

Healthcare

Healthcare institutions look after a lot of patient data, and the cloud is making that information easy to store and more comfortable to access. Electronic health records solution providers like athenaOne and PrognoCIS. Examples of companies that offer this kind of technology. In our post entitled ‘AI May Influence Health Care Industry in the Future Years’, we also discussed how cloud platforms are equipped with AI and other security features to protect patient data from cyberattacks.

The industry is also slowly moving to a type of delivery model called “value-based care”. This system encourages healthcare entities to keep their patients out of the hospital with advice and preventive measures. For instance, if a patient is at risk of diabetes, the physician would recommend proactive ways to keep sugar levels low instead of prescribing them with medicine once it happens. This patient-physician collaboration process is done remotely with telehealth platforms like Talkspace and Amwell; all hosted on the cloud.

The cloud has given industries the power to collaborate from anywhere and at any time. The world leans more on technology to continue and even improve operations. We’ll be seeing more of the cloud in the coming months.

For more cloud computing and other tech news, do explore our articles here on the TechBlogBox.