Why integrations are so important in the cloud

Having integrations performed in the cloud are important, but for the non-technical person - why is that so?

Today we're opening our geeky side a little by sharing our thoughts on cloud-based integrations, but in layman's terms.

The four main reasons are reliability, speed, lowered costs and scalability. Let's expand on each.

System reliability

Imagine your operation has a major fault and you're down for even an hour. For many, it's very crippling. The industry is built on reliability and your integrations need to be reliable.

When done in the cloud, even if there is a fault, it can be quickly fixed remotely. There is often no reason to call out a tech support team and wait for them to arrive on site.

Speed

When integrations are done offline, often speed takes a hit. But when done in the cloud, you simply have more bandwidth to work with and more resources available.

Pair that with caching and you're able to get an integration done in most cases a lot faster too. Just like downtime, you simply can't afford to wait.

Lowered costs

Prior to CartonCloud, we built our own distribution business in Sydney and we're glad we did. Today we're still one of the few software packages based on industry experience.

Now that experience has taught us on just how tight margins are in the industry. And because of those tight margins, you simply can't afford to spend 6 figures on an IT setup.

With cloud-based integrations, your sharing resource space online (while maintaining complete privacy) which result in much lower costs, both upfront and ongoing.

Scalability

We always ask our clients where they envision their operation in the next few years, because we want to grow alongside them. Likewise, by running integrations in the cloud, small warehouses can grow quite easily into multi-site and nationwide operations.

You can also duplicate or mirror the same processes and systems across multiple sites very easily, as well as rolling out more advanced features without any upgrades.

Further benefits

Now that we've covered the main four benefits to cloud-based integrations, let's briefly cover 3 more:

1. Better time management. Since time is of the essence, you're able to better manage your time. Integrations can be timed for late at night when operations are either closed or running on a skeleton crew.
2. Enhanced automation. You can have automatic integrations done at set time periods so your data is as fresh as your operation requires.
3. Ahead of the industry. While not quite an intrinsic benefit, you'll be ahead of most in the industry who still use offline servers and in-house IT systems.

In summary

The world is transitioning to the cloud as the benefits far outweigh local or offline systems. While security and privacy is of concern, companies like CartonCloud have invested a lot of resources into protecting customers for the long term.

If you're ready for a cloud-based solution then reach out today for a free demo.