The manufacturing sector has ben quick to adopt cloud computing services.
Cloud computing services are slowly becoming the norm for a number of businesses as they realise the benefits of outsourcing expensive IT infrastructure to specialist firms.
This is becoming apparent in the manufacturing sector, where recent reports state that the majority of these businesses have invested in cloud computing solutions in some manner. According to IDC, these trends reflect a substantial shift in the IT industry. This marks a noticeable change for people working business analysts jobs, who need to consider the technology now more than ever.
"Manufacturers are in the midst of a digital transformation, in which 3rd Platform technologies are absolutely essential to the way they do business and in the products and services they provide to their customers. Consequently, a strategic approach to adopting cloud is absolutely essential," said Research Director of IDC Manufacturing Insights, Kimberly Knickle.
The survey focused on businesses using cloud services for two or more applications within daily operations. IDC found that 66 per cent of manufactures worldwide are accessing public cloud services compared to 68 per cent with private investments.
Cloud computing services also make up the majority of new IT investments, with businesses now seeing them as a viable replacement for the on-premises services they are replacing or upgrading. Up to 61.6 per cent of companies investing in new services are opting for cloud options according to IDC, with the number dropping slightly to 56.8 per cent for replacement infrastructure.
IDC believes that these trends will encourage relationships between IT and management within businesses, as the implementation of these services requires careful cooperation to ensure they can be used effectively.
"Because of cloud's tremendous value in making IT resources available to the business based on business terms – speed, cost, and accessibility- manufacturers must ensure that the line of business and IT management work together in defining their requirements," explained Ms Knickle.
