When companies pursue more diverse means of data access, they open up possibilities for different facets and departments to improve. Supply chains and logistics can be augmented with big data for better performance, leading to improvements and greater insight into important business metrics. These may be useful no matter the size or extension of the supply chain, and could be a strong bedrock to build off of as the company develops.
An article in CloudTech lists some of the ways that big data may be used in supply chains. According to information from an Accenture Study cited by this source, analytics solutions make the biggest impact when embedded in everyday operations.
The survey polled more than 1,000 senior executives and found that 63 percent reported reported shortened order-to-delivery cycle times when using disseminated big data, and 59 percent said they had increased efficiency by 10 percent or greater.
Security and risk are other areas that data can improve. Writing for CFO, Jeffrey Burchill of FM Global gives an example of how data can factor into planning.
"Perhaps your plant is in the heartland, which sounds safe, but may be in the flood plain of the Mississippi River. It's not a question of if a flood will occur but when," he writes. "Or maybe you're on an earthquake fault line or exposed to high winds. That should be part of your supply chain risk equation, since these conditions may make it difficult to get supplies to your company."
Businesses will be able to replace their current mainframe terminal emulator option with a virtual product that makes it more available through various locations and devices.