Supply Chain – Turning to the Cloud

By Bill Harrison, President, Demand Solutions.

This 'Cloud thing' is more than just a Cloud thing, much more. I'd call it a revolution in the way applications are delivered.

This revolution was bound to happen eventually. Some companies are tired of adding to their IT infrastructures, paying more and more each month to power and maintain them, and hiring additional IT headcount to work on them. Other companies are in start-up mode and don't even want to go down the road of building out their infrastructure in the first place.

SaaS SCM, SaaS Supply Chain Management

In either case, software as a service (SaaS) has become an appealing option. This trend is even catching on in supply chain management, as we're seeing the release of SaaS SCM solutions.

SaaS SCM up Close

One of the first questions many manufacturers will ask about SaaS SCM is, "Will my Cloud SCM solution offer a full set of features, or just bare-bones functionality that's designed for quick delivery?"
It's an important question. What good is a supply chain planning solution that places minimal burden on your IT staff if it also forces you to make do with a limited feature set? You'll probably just end up using a separate on-premise software solution to flesh out the functionality, which defeats the whole point of moving to the Cloud.
 
We've purposely avoided this approach in releasing the cloud version of the Demand Solutions supply chain planning platform. It offers all the same features as our on-premise version, but it's hosted remotely and available to you on a subscription basis. You can learn more about this new offering on our website.
 
The Benefits of SCM in the Cloud
If you're considering using a SaaS SCM solution in your company, here are a few potential benefits to keep in mind as you make your decision:

1. With SaaS SCM, you can go live quickly. SaaS implementations tend to be faster because they're performed in the controlled environment of the vendor's data centre, rather than in a customer's server room where there may be many variables.
2. You won't need to make a large up-front investment in software licences. You'll gain access to your platform simply by paying a monthly subscription fee based on your number of users.
3. For the price of your subscription, you'll also get cost certainty and a clear upgrade path. You'll never face unexpected expenses or have to worry about whether you're on the latest version – the vendor does all the behind-the-scenes work for you.

If you choose Demand Solutions as your SaaS SCM solution, you'll also benefit from integration between the Cloud and your other systems of record. Find out more at www.demandsolutions.com