Cloud computing: Are we asking the right questions?

The cloud has been a hot topic for me in recent months, with associates, clients and contacts all hoping to find out more about how to better collaborate in cross-functional teams; and how to scale and access data & knowledge in the best possible way.

There is a common understanding that central business platforms are a core element for successful digital transformation. And cloud computing has come to the fore as a positive means of enhancing business agility in recent years, driving effective new ways to manage, share and collate data. However, on premise solutions also have their advantages and you will find positive statements for both hosting solutions within the discussions.

Breaking down barriers

In order to benefit from the advantages of digitized processes, seamless access to data, which is often called ‘the’ resource of the 21st century, is essential.

Therefore, when looking for new solutions to manage projects and share information within worldwide teams, next to the well-established on premise solutions, the use of a business platform on the cloud may be worth a look.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform for example serves to facilitate increased scope for global project management, ensuring there is 24/7 access to files and making it possible for teams to reduce timescales in data transfer and make collaborative working much more efficient and scalable.

 Indeed, Dassault Systèmes was recently named the third-fastest growing cloud provider in the world, as part of the latest PwC SaaS Revenue of Top 50 Software Companies list.

 Collaborative working made possible

In any case, worldwide markets are transparent and require flexible production and worldwide data access across all levels. Understanding the impact of business platforms and the ability of businesses to quickly transfer data globally is therefore a fundamental part of the inherent benefits of modern software solutions.

Very often though, the discussions among decision makers show that the purchase of new software solutions is still associated with cost. Are they right?

I would not really say so, as business platform on cloud providers, like Dassault Systèmes, cover all costs for operation, maintenance and updating of infrastructure. The experiences in our region show that especially medium sized or small companies really value this. Furthermore, installation processes are quick and easy; users can access the cloud-based solution within an hour set-up time and may then use the entire portfolio as out-of-the-box-solution. The model is scalable and thus customers are not bound to use all functionalities right from the start but could still decide to do so later. In the end, it is always up to the client to decide how much flexibility they need and whether cloud or on-premise hosting or a mix of both worlds suits their needs best. 

In any case, it is important to realize that asking questions of your platform provider is the right thing to do. However, this should not be 'how do you keep your data secure?' when choosing cloud as hosting option. Instead, focus on asking how your teams and operations can benefit from modern business platform solutions for design, engineering, manufacturing and realistic simulation.