‘Build a future we all want to live in…’. SAP Chief Designer & Futurist Martin Wezowski opened his keynote speech with these words at this year's SAP CONNECT event in Frankfurt, Germany. But what does this future that we all want to live in look like, and when exactly will it begin?

Alexa… Who?

The Internet of Things, Machine Learning and Industry 4.0 are just a few examples of an endless parade of new technologies currently vying for our attention – intelligent, learning, digitally networked systems that turn production into a self-run process. Computers that generate knowledge from experience and find solutions for new problems, and digital assistants that help us to order our lives, remind us of calendar entries and give us more time to focus on thinking and creating.

Let's be honest, if I had told you three years ago that Alexa manages my shopping list, wakes me up in the morning and gives me information about weather and traffic, you’d be forgiven for assuming that I was talking about a helpful member of my household rather than a gadget. Amazon Echo, with its cloud-based Alexa Voice Service didn't exist three years ago and this is just one example of how fast things change and how we so easily absorb these technologies into our everyday lives.

Technology helps us to connect people no matter where they are in the world. We can retrieve information at any time via smartphone, whether from the Internet or stored in the cloud, and we can indulge in this whenever and wherever we want. We use Gmail incessantly, store data in Dropbox or Apple's iCloud, and become so used to these services and the convenience they provide that using the cloud becomes second nature.

 

What Do Businesses Think Of It?

But what do businesses really think of the cloud and the numerous benefits that cloud-based software solutions provide? Various representative surveys confirm that a whole new way of thinking is emerging, inspired by and founded in cloud computing. A prime example of this is a company that wants to expand through subsidiaries in other countries, and the use of cloud-based solutions here becomes increasingly important. Quantifiable, predictable maintenance costs, improved quality control and the evaluation of key company figures are just a few of the areas where a cloud-based ERP solution becomes a very real advantage.

For example, data regarding critical wear on machine parts can easily be collected and evaluated, making it easier to pre-order spare parts, and personnel can be dispersed more efficiently through the business. Complete repair and maintenance schedules are available from multiple locations in real-time via the cloud, increasing the availability of production resources. This not only saves on maintenance costs, but also helps to reduce production downtime.

With a pro-cloud decision, companies benefit from demand-oriented use of IT systems, as the Software as a Service (SaaS) concept enables companies to use software or additional services, as and when required, with flexible pricing models, without having to invest in expensive hardware and software which is only fully utilised at peak times.

 

Let's Get Started!

If we view the cloud not as a place, but rather as a strategy that allows IT services to be delivered flexibly and with increased availability, and accept that this modern technology gives us invaluable tools that enable us to work more efficiently than ever before, then we simply can’t afford to sit back and wait to see what the future might hold.

The future is not tomorrow, or in two years’ time. It is here - today - and we should feel compelled to consider it, embrace it, and jump into it.

Let’s jump together, with Boyum Solutions and SAP/HANA.