I was just listening to an interview from last week’s SAP’s Sapphire user conference where SAP’s Co-CEO, Bill McDermott reported that SAP’s cloud business grew by 380% in Q1.  He didn’t break it down, but one can reasonably assume that the bulk of this growth occurred in business applications like core ERP, SCM, SFM, HCM solutions.  It got me thinking about where we are with Analytics in the cloud.  A report published last fall by noted BI analyst Howard Dresner tells how adoption of analytics in the cloud is still in the early innings.  This makes sense.  As business applications move to the cloud, more businesses get familiar and comfortable with this new computing model.  Perhaps more importantly, it puts business data—the lifeblood of analytics—out in the cloud making the move to cloud BI a natural next step. 

While reading a recent Aberdeen white paper, The Case for Cloud ERP in Manufacturing: Alleviating Outdated Concerns, I kept thinking to myself how well it fits with SAP’s OnDemand offerings, mainly SAP’s Business ByDesign ERP cloud solution. Although the article focuses on the “Cloud ERP in Manufacturing” aspect, the findings in the article can be applied to all types of Industries, not just manufacturing. As the cloud expands, I believe businesses that do not take advantage of the cloud will start losing any competitive-advantage they have over their competitors. How is this? Let’s look at the following five “Key Benefits of Cloud Solutions that a Manufacturer Must Consider” as outlined in the above-mentioned Aberdeen report and see how SAP’s OnDemand Cloud solutions are a perfect fit:

Bramasol is pleased to welcome you to Orlando, Florida May 14-16^th at Orange County convention center.