Cloud Computing – Supplier Collaboration Opportunity

What’s the next “big thing” in Information Technology? Some may remember the hype around XML, Web Services and SAAS… but what about “Cloud Computing”? Be sure the check out Jim Berkowitz’s CRM mastery blog article on  – Cloud Computing for some great insights.

What is cloud computing?

There is some confusion, even amongst IT professionals, about what cloud computing is, but from SunGard Availability Services’ point of view it is a network which uses virtualization technologies to allow computing applications and data to be flexibly provided from a pool of hardware resources. With cloud computing there is no longer a point-to-point connection between the user and the computing infrastructure. Data and applications are not held on one PC or one server or one network; they are held on a disparate conglomeration of computing resources.

For procurement, cloud computing provides a ready made platform for buyers and sellers including the opportunity to extend the supply chain to your supplier’s supplier. With players like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Salesforce.com there are some fantastic possibilities. Cloud Computing is an opportunity to share information and resources to take your supply chain to the next level.