Why the Automotive and Transportation Industry Should Move to the Cloud
Why the Automotive and Transportation Industry Should Move to the Cloud
From flying taxis to delivery drones, the automotive and transportation industry is changing in exciting ways. But these kinds of innovations require more than the “big ideas.” They require IT resources and infrastructure that can power the technologies that enable them. That includes:
- High-performance computing resources that can handle the huge number of calculations, multiple large data sets, and other requirements associated with advanced technologies
- Scalable storage capacity, storage technology options, and choices in storage systems architecture to accommodate increasing data volumes, address cost issues, and meet data privacy, security, access, and retention requirements
- Scalable, high-bandwidth, low-latency networks that offer uptime, reliability, high-level security, and access to connectivity-rich data centers and diverse peering partners with redundant paths to the public Internet
- End-to-end, multi-layered security
In other words, it requires the cloud.
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Cloud Benefits for Companies on the Move
The cloud delivers the compute, storage, and networking resources that are required for powering big data analytics, cognitive computing, AI, IoT, and the other advanced technologies and emerging trends that are shaping the automotive and transportation industry. The resources are on-demand and scalable, offering maximum flexibility.
They’re also offered on a pay-as-you-go or know-what-you’re-getting subscription basis. No infrastructure purchases or maintenance are required.
The more reputable cloud services provide multiple security technologies and processes to ensure greater security and customer peace of mind. They count on their customers’ satisfaction for their own success, so they invest in, deploy and monitor the latest and most advanced security technologies. Many, like US Signal, also offer managed security services to supplement what their cloud services already provide.
As companies in the transportation industry expand, so can their cloud-based systems. Done right, cloud services can also help with regulatory compliance requirements and much more.
Another advantage the cloud provides is a framework that allows for expandability using APIs. For example, if a company finds a third-party solution that can provide better workflows and doesn’t require proprietary components, the company can quickly update that workflow into their SaaS applications using APIs.
Here are a few more cloud benefits:
- Operational innovation – Simpler and faster processes drive internal efficiency, reduced complexity enables better governance and expanded access to more and broader data to manage risk, and IT capacity is better aligned to business volumes.
- Revenue model innovation – Customer relationships, data, and other assets are monetized more readily, time-to-market is enhanced, and relevant partner services are incorporated more easily.
- Business model innovation – Third-party services extend into the transportation ecosystem, open collaboration and sharing are expanded, new types of business can be pursued, and innovation is introduced systematically
Cloud Help for Downtime Mitigation
Unplanned downtime is never good, whether it’s a matter of disrupted IT systems that halt manufacturing operations or mechanical issues that put a truck out of commission. Downtime mitigation is another area where the cloud can help – at least on the IT side.
In terms of downtime that affects IT systems, cloud-based disaster recovery ─ in the form of a Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solution ─ can mitigate the effects and help keep companies up and running. A third-party provider handles the replication and hosting of physical or virtual servers to provide business continuity in the event of any kind of disaster. DRaaS offers quick, SLA-backed recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) in minutes, seconds, or even near-zero seconds.
The cloud obviously offers numerous benefits to companies in the transportation industry, but not all of them are ready to move everything to the cloud. That doesn’t mean that can’t still benefit from the cloud. Hybrid IT offers a great option.
Hybrid IT entails using different IT environments. That could include an on-premises private cloud, a hosted private cloud, a public cloud, an off-site colocation facility, or, more than likely, a mix of on-premises data center and cloud environments. Workloads are matched to the environments where they will perform best. With multiple IT environments to choose from, companies are better equipped to handle changing business needs.
Workload optimization is a key benefit, but there are others as well. For example, a hybrid IT strategy enables companies to add the cloud to their IT services portfolio without having to move everything or carve out a large budget for cloud migration. It also provides them time to determine how best to address legacy apps ─ retain them, refactor them, rehost them, rebuild them, replace them, retire them, etc.
The Cloud in Action
The cloud is already proving its usefulness to companies across the transportation industry. For example:
- Public transportation systems around the world are using cloud services to monitor and forecast traffic to make transit easier for everyone involved.
- A combination of cloud services and GPS technology allows fleet managers to get real-time information on every truck in transit to facilitate scheduling and customer communications.
- Towing operations are using cloud-based software to provide real-time traffic updates and the best available route to drivers, and collect data on unnecessary halts, vehicle performance, breakdowns, and fuel waste to the back-office managers.
- Railroads and airlines use cloud technologies to inform travelers of delays and available seats using real-time data.
- Cloud-based companies like Uber, Lyft, Scoop, Wingz, Via, Arro, and Bridj have proven their value as options for requesting rides, finding a carpool, or hailing taxis.
Get Moving
Regardless of where your company fits in the automotive and transportation industry – supply chain and logistics; air, rail, ship, and vehicle transportation; manufacturing; or something else, there’s a good chance US Signal can provide the IT solutions and guidance needed. From cloud, colocation, and network services to managed security services, consulting, and more, US Signal offers a wide array of services to help companies drive innovation, optimize their operations, and meet their business requirements. Learn more. Call (866) 274-4625 or email [email protected].