The cloud: Enabling the effective enterprise

摘要

Five years after the cloud really went mainstream, many businesses are still failing to grasp what it offers them. That's the uncompromising view of Carter Lloyds, chief marketing officer at manufacturing ERP specialist QAD, which this year celebrates 35 years of focusing on key manufacturing industries. "When it comes to ERP, the question of cloud or on-premise isn't just a deployment decision," he stresses. "And to think of it like that is to miss a lot of the value. Instead, it's a strategic decision-and one which goes right to the heart of how a manufacturer defines its business." For proof, says Lloyds, think about how manufacturers describe themselves to shareholders, stakeholders, and partners. Typically, he points out, such descriptions revolve around markets, mission, customers, strategy and products.