Successful Enterprise Cloud Services Need Supply Chain Agility

Today, there are many factors shaping the demand for cloud services. 

COVID-19, for example, has created a need to digitize quickly and effectively to manage large-scale home working. But this isn't the sole reason as to why business cloud use is changing rapidly. 

Cloud spending increased 37 percent to $29 billion during the first quarter of this year. This is a trend that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, as businesses will always need more compute power, scalability, reliability, security and affordable off-premise technology services.

To cater to businesses' growing need for the cloud, service providers must offer the desired enterprise cloud services. However, it is also vital to embrace an agile supply chain. Without this, service providers won't be able to grasp the cloud opportunity and could be left behind. 

The supply chain conundrum

Business demand for cloud services is rising, but also shifting rapidly. Cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are being increasingly used by businesses through the cloud. If a business needs to deliver an app or service that requires a lot of processing via a 5G cloud (perhaps through edge infrastructure), it will need a service provider to make that possible. 

Service providers, therefore, need to make sure they have an agile and efficient supply chain in place to deliver digital projects through the cloud in the shortest possible time. They should also look to be flexible in supporting business' consumption of these services. This includes procuring the correct hardware in the right quantities, ensuring consistent quality and compatibility and accurate budgeting. 

If this supply chain agility isn't fostered, small issues can emerge and cause a concertina effect which obstructs and delays time to market for cloud projects. Without supply chain transformation, a typical large organization can expect a lead-time of six months or more from forecast to a customer solution ready for deployment. 

Simplification = success 

Transforming the supply chain can reduce lead time by 83 percent. Alongside this reduction in lead time, transformation can reduce the cost source and build infrastructure by more than 20 percent through the following means:

• Overall inventory reduction.
• Less rework and wasted build activities.
• Reduced obsolete inventory.
• Lower build labour costs.

WWT possesses a range of tools that can effectively support an efficient and agile supply chain for cloud projects. We have engineering expertise spanning the globe. We also have more than four million square feet of warehousing and distribution facilities, complemented by over 250 square feet of staging and integration space. 

We give service providers the elasticity to flex up and down, as required, to meet deployment deadlines. WWT simplifies the process and acts a single point of contact to design, build, test and deploy fully integrated systems to deadline and within budget.

Our integration facilities are a one-stop-shop for service providers. They are ISO 9001:2015 and TL9000:2016 certified, enabling a proven process which is founded in work instructions and quality checks. This ensure a successful deployment every time. These production environments feature advanced networking, secure remote access and certified procedures. The ITCs are specifically designed to deliver affordable staging, kitting, configuring and shipping of cutting-edge technology. 

These facilities span the globe and have certified engineers on site with a vast amount of logistical and technical expertise. The ITCs can make onsite integration a breeze, thanks to WWT's plug-and-play models. It's everything service providers need to flexibly and cost-effectively support the cloud service requirements of its enterprise customers.

Embracing the opportunity

As businesses all over the world embrace the cloud, don't let complex and inefficient supply chains impact your chance of meeting that growing and shifting pattern of demand. Partnering with WWT opens that chance for you to transform your supply chain, so you can seize the current cloud opportunity and boost that all-valuable competitive advantage.