How SME’s can benefit from data monitoring in the cloud

How SME’s can benefit from data monitoring in the cloud

The cloud is the current buzz word making its rounds across the globe. In the simplest words, cloud computing means storing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the internet. It relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers of personal devices to handle applications.
Cloud computing is becoming a game changer for Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by offering scalable infrastructure and capabilities available as services. The true challenge here is to tie up the channels to integrate with the SME Cloud hosted solution with associated partners, suppliers and customer interfaces. Manufacturers have mostly used local software installations to optimize process quality. However, several SMEs are not enabled to do the same.

Cloud Computing and Industry 4.0

The cloud is an integral part of the operation as a data storage strategy in Industry 4.0, which has an increasing impact of IT on production processes within the industry. The interconnection of all products leads to massive data and metadata that, along the value chain, is very rarely stored by a single company. With globalization, production has spreads over various locations, subcontractors and partner companies. Data Management must now traverse locations, countries and continents. Cloud Computing provides the technological basis for the provision of data.
At present, the manufacturers are still making their way cautiously around this new idea, but by the looks of it, the roads make way to cloud. There is no doubt that the long term goal of industry.
4.0 is a fully connected value stream. The only way this would be achievable would be with cloud-enabled solutions.

Extensive monitoring of process data

To begin with, let us understand what is process data monitoring. This is the transparent production processes that are monitored and documented in real time that are essential for manufacturing in the present scenario.
So, how does Small Businesses benefit from extensive monitoring of process data? They make it possible to quickly respond to anomalies in the production process when manufacturing safety critical products and components. This upstream quality assurance step reduces rework costs. What’s more, the transparency and systematic analysis of the production process make it easier for manufacturers to detect error trends early on and contain causes.
A major advantage of cloud solutions is that they require virtually no initial investment and no commitment with regard to how long they have to be in operation before paying off. The cloud model offers decisive advantages even for companies that want to integrate manufacturing sites worldwide in stages in order to centrally monitor tightening processes and make decentralized use of expert knowledge. As a cloud solution, it now also offers potential for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies that have outsourced the operation – including support and maintenance – of their IT infrastructure and use only a small number of tightening systems.

Converting investment costs to running costs

Cloud solutions opens up new billing possibilities and pay-per used models are being used extensively which helps in converting investment costs to running costs. For the manufacturer of safety critical products and components, paying for the process monitoring service by the number of tightening operations makes financial sense.

Data Security

Data is everything in today’s business. Data security was always a prevailing concern, including issues ranging from how to safeguard intellectual property against e-spionage, hacker attacks, and manipulation to more general aspects of system security and protection of personal data. It is an important subject when it comes to cloud.
Without adequate protection, data theft is a genuine threat. Customers must be able to have complete and utter confidence that their data will be treated with due care and vigilance. Small Business can handle this by using the latest protective mechanisms to ensure strict data protection.
In conclusion, Cloud computing provides a new business paradigm for resources. It enables organizations to create and use IT and business services on-demand from optimal sources to maximize utilization and cost-effectiveness. With the option of using Industry 4.0 solutions in the cloud, small and medium-sized manufacturers can now confidently take their first steps into the world of Industry 4.0. Companies can monitor and document their process data in real time, reducing the amount of rework and the related costs
Thus, Cloud applications and Industry 4.0 are now the lifeblood of small businesses, as they enable firms to access high quality and scalable resources without investing in physical and on premise solutions.