Achieving True Cloud Differentiation: Why Being "On the Cloud" Is Not Enough

By Kevin Sterneckert, EVP Marketing, Predictix

Many retailers have already migrated critical business operations to the cloud. Incorporating cloud technology as a core business differentiator is top of mind; a recent IDC research study predicted the overall cloud market would grow from $118 billion in 2015 to over $200 billion by 2018.

There are several obvious reasons why cloud technology is increasingly the go-to delivery platform for retailers. These include cost savings, convenience, and agility. While these are all valid, though, they barely scratch the surface in terms of the value cloud technology can deliver. Most companies today view the cloud much the same way they looked at the Internet in the 1990s – as a different way to deliver the same old content, as opposed to a transformational technology.

Looking to the cloud’s capabilities beyond a delivery platform, it yields advanced benefits that can transform a retailer’s business. The cloud allows retailers to break out of the boundaries of traditional solutions by accessing data that exists outside retailers’ walls, unlocking the power of advanced prescriptive and predictive analytics and driving far more accurate insights. Additionally, the cloud enables collaboration by opening up communication and sharing insights that deliver value throughout a retailer’s value chain.