Wms in the cloud
- 1. High Jump 2010
- 2. Cloud computing for WMS means that the burden of WMS technology administration is shifted from your team to the WMS technology experts. There is no hardware to purchase or maintain, patches and upgrades are done automatically, implementation is dramatically simplified, no capital expenditure is required and there is less risk for you. You access the WMS via a Web browser and gain the functional benefits of a new WMS without the up-front costs and IT drain.
- 3. Cloud computing in supply chain terms is basically the IT equivalent of a third party logistics provider that manages physical distribution for you. Just like a 3PL supplier provides you with warehouse space, your cloud WMS provider will host your hardware and software and maintain it on your behalf. There is no capital expenditure because you are essentially leasing the system. There is also less risk, shorter implementation time, and demands on your IT staff are reduced. Companies can try the solution for a time and if it doesn’t turn out to be the best option for their business, they can
- 4. 1. WMS in the cloud is elastic and scalable to match your business needs 2. WMS delivered via cloud can help lighten the IT load 3. Cloud WMS can be implemented faster so you can start reaping the benefits more quickly 4. Cloud technology providers offer robust security that can match your existing standards
- 5. o WMS in the cloud provides WMS solutions that are affordable and efficient for a variety of company sizes. o Subscription-based pricing model, so you only pay for what you use. o The cloud provides “self-service” access to your WMS application. More affordable, less risk. o With traditional self-hosted systems, you have to buy the hardware based on your highest demand. With WMS in the cloud, you can seamlessly scale and accommodate spikes in demand.
- 6. “The rise of the cloud is more than just another platform shift that gets geeks excited. It will undoubtedly transform the IT industry, but it will also profoundly change the way people work and companies operate.” – The Economist Many companies are running out of IT space and power. On-site software requires rack space, electricity, cooling, bandwidth, hardware and trained IT staff to install the systems and perform upgrades and routine maintenance.
- 7. There is no hardware to purchase or maintain, and you are no longer required to manage hardware vendors, hardware support contracts and insurance on your hardware. The shared infrastructure provided by the cloud takes advantage of economies of scale, giving you better hardware utilization and resulting in more computing capacity for your infrastructure dollar.
- 8. There is no lengthy and confusing installation slowing your business and taxing your resources. Rather than hard-coding customizations to your WMS, the software is configured to your needs and the software image is ready to be turned on in a fraction of the time it takes to implement a traditional on-premise WMS.
- 9. There is no need to worry about applying the latest patches, since ongoing updates are applied automatically and seamlessly. Because of the simplified implementation, and the “pay as you go” service, you can test drive the software without a major capital investment that you are tied to for five years or more.
- 10. The risk and liability are managed by the service provider, and most cloud providers have security policies that are far superior to a company’s internal IT departments. The hardware and applications are hosted in a secure, state of the art data center that is designed to ensure the privacy, integrity and availability of customer’s systems and data. Availability to your system and data are guaranteed and instantaneous as long as you have internet access.
- 11. Determining if a new WMS with a cloud delivery model is right for you depends on your specific functional needs and priorities. The key benefits a cloud option provides over a traditional on-site hosted solution are that you gain the new WMS capabilities you want for your business, and the solution is implemented more quickly and with less strain on your IT staff – all without the large up-front capital expense.
- 12. Do you have the expertise and the extra IT staff to dedicate to implementing and maintaining a new application? Is your current infrastructure over-taxed and in need of an overhaul? Do you have a pressing need for the new WMS capabilities, necessitating a faster implementation? Have you included operational costs such as energy, personnel and capital costs, including servers, storage and software when comparing cloud costs to hosting the same service internally? Have you considered the added benefit of the subscription- based pricing of the cloud option?