Cloud as a Competitive Advantage – Get All the Facts Straight

In a rapidly changing global economy, companies must continuously develop innovative approaches to enhance their efficiency and keep pace with the latest technologies. In this context, cloud services are becoming increasingly important.  They can offer companies many advantages over in-house operation: increased IT and operational security, shortened innovation cycles and cost efficiency, to name but a few. But a cloud strategy can also support companies in complying with legal regulations and, last but not least, in the megatrend of sustainability. Our blog post looks at the most important points.

The implementation of a cloud-first strategy is not trivial. Its various sub-aspects require a sound knowledge of the current situation and the corresponding specific requirements. In addition, it must be ensured that the applicable laws and regulations are complied with. Furthermore, parts of these topics may even seem to contradict each other. A vivid example of this is the tension between the demand for short innovation cycles on the one hand and careful compliance with all security and data protection requirements on the other. All of this initially represents a high workload that can quickly tie up considerable resources.

The integration of cloud services can support companies in overcoming these challenges. Many components of typical cloud services already meet the requirements in the graphic above, such as compliance, or at least provide the necessary prerequisites for their straightforward implementation. What exactly a cloud strategy looks like varies depending on the industry and the individual circumstances of each company. However, some points must always be taken into account when using cloud services:

Security

The most important aspect of using cloud services is security. As with on-premises solutions, effective defenses against potential attacks must be established to detect and prevent attacks at an early stage. Implementing this involves considerable effort. Those who cannot or do not want to do this in-house can turn to a professional cloud provider.

Nowadays, all cloud providers have already implemented numerous measures in their own interest to ward off hackers, detect threats and protect data from access by unauthorized persons. These protection mechanisms are continuously checked and documented for their effectiveness through regular tests and certifications. In the event of an emergency, you can rely on highly-qualified security experts who are always ready to provide you with professional support.

Business Continuity

Once security against criminal access is ensured, the main focus is ensuring smooth business operations. From safeguarding against failures of all service components to automated recovery of business-critical processes, the virtually uninterrupted functioning of the entire enterprise must be ensured. This is not a one-time undertaking. Rather, ensuring business continuity requires an active approach in which the implemented security measures are continuously tested and adjusted based on test results. This is the only way to ensure a smooth transition to contingency plans in the event of an emergency and to guarantee business operations.

Profitability

In today’s dynamic competitive landscape, cost control is more important than ever. It is essential to take advantage of all potential savings that present themselves. Cloud services can not only help reduce IT costs by outsourcing activities such as maintenance and support, but can also increase the performance and security of overall business operations at the same time. Since the production costs incurred when using cloud services are shared with a broad user base, it helps to spread the cost. Cloud providers also benefit from huge economies of scale themselves, which they can pass on to their customers. For their customers, this can mean higher performance for less money compared to their own cloud or on-premises operations. Moreover, consumption-based pay-per-use cost models mean that only the resources actually consumed are charged for. This not only means financial efficiency, but also allows resources to be tailored to individual needs. Nevertheless, it is important to keep quality in mind despite all the savings: Standard solutions enable fast and inexpensive implementation, but cannot always meet individual requirements.

Time to market

Flexibility, multi-client capability and scalability are decisive competitive factors. However, this does not have to exclude a best-of-breed approach. The elasticity and agility of cloud services allow a rapid response to new and changing market situations. Hyperscaler clouds such as AWS or Microsoft Azure open up an almost limitless range of possibilities for further optimizing and more efficiently leveraging the benefits of a SaaS approach. These platforms not only provide a robust infrastructure, but also a wealth of services and tools that enable companies to develop and implement innovative solutions. With the ability to scale resources as needed, companies can respond quickly to fluctuations in demand without having to make costly investments in hardware or infrastructure.

Sustainability

The climate crisis has long since become an important issue for businesses as well. Social responsibility and changing customer expectations require a rethink. The EU Parliament has also clarified its position on rules for integrating human rights and environmental impacts into corporate governance. The Supply Chain Act, which came into force in Germany in January 2023, addresses impacts of corporate activities on human rights, the environment, child labor, slavery, pollution or biodiversity loss along the entire supply chain. Against this background, more and more companies are also requiring their suppliers and service providers along the entire value chain to develop a comprehensive sustainability concept and to be able to provide evidence of this if required. And sustainable business practices are also becoming a factor in the labor market – the question of whether a company operates in line with sustainable values is increasingly becoming a key factor for job applicants.

Cloud services can contribute to sustainability in many ways: energy efficiency, resource consumption that can be scaled as required, reduced hardware consumption and the associated reduction in production, purchasing, energy and disposal costs, to name just a few points. However, the sustainability of cloud services also depends on factors such as the choice of cloud provider, regional availability of renewable energy and the type of services used. Companies should carefully consider how they use cloud technologies to support their sustainability goals.

SEEBURGER Cloud Integration Services: improve efficiency, innovation & productivity

Get to know all the advantages of the SEEBURGER Cloud Integration Services in our five-part webcast series “Cloud as a Competitive Advantage – Get All the Facts Straight.“ Get a broad overview of the five topics “Security,” “Business Continuity,” “Time-to-Market,” “Profitability” and “Sustainability” in the Cloud.