Businesses of all sizes are turning to cloud computing to scale their network and storage capabilities, remove the need for building and maintaining data centers, reduce capital investments, and derive cost efficiency. However, the potential benefits of the cloud have not been realized uniformly across all industry sectors. This could be due to the stringent industry-specific guidelines in terms of data protection, localization, or compliance.
As cloud solutions continue to mature, major cloud services providers are investing in solutions to meet specialized industry demands. Likewise, specialized cloud service providers are offering tailor-made, highly targeted features and services to different industries to cater to their respective needs. These practices have given rise to the concept of ‘Industry Cloud’.
What is Industry Cloud?
As per industry experts, industry cloud is a cloud system that has been heavily customized to fit a specific industry in order to accommodate the business, operatory, legal, regulatory, as well as security and other considerations. The main focus of industry cloud is vertical integration and vertical solutions rather than horizontal ones, which is the focus of general cloud computing. This means that industry cloud solutions focus on creating more value within the bounds of the industry in which it is used rather than expanding the breadth of that industry.
It is not a new type of cloud or paradigm, it is simply a specific method of creating a cloud. This method is about vertical movement, giving more precise and custom solutions or products that are very specific to the organization that is using it.
Benefits of using the industry cloud…
Almost all industries face their set of challenges that add layers of complexity to the successful adoption of cloud computing. Since industry cloud is customized to meet all the requirements of a given industry, it ensures the following:
- Easy Installation
- Less Complexities
- Less Downtime
- Scalability and flexibility as per industry requirements
- Network and storage capacity as per industry requirements
Let’s look at few examples of how different industries are benefiting from tailor-made cloud solutions:
Healthcare – In the past, the healthcare industry has been slow to transition to new technology due to its fear of inadequate security and switch over time. that it would take to adopt a new technology. However, cloud healthcare solutions ensure an easy and reliable transition and adoption. It helps doctors to easily stay connected to their patients, thereby enhancing collaboration. It provides solutions compliant with various healthcare regulations, including HIPAA. The simple tasks like making referrals and completing patient history can be done in no time using cloud healthcare solutions.
Financial Services – This sector requires special accommodations to adopt cloud computing services, as PCI and SOX compliance complicates the adoption of decentralized technologies. However, industry cloud solutions enable the financial services industry to invent new ways of lending, savings, banking of remote populations, lowering banking costs, and ensuring highest standards of security by encrypting and limiting the access credentials to the data stored in the cloud.
Automotive Industry – The automotive industry relies heavily on constant availability of data. To meet customer expectations, they need to constantly keep checking their inventory and vehicle availability at a given location. Industry cloud solutions enable the automotive industry to create seamless operating system, cloud indigenous applications, the internet of things, devising wide-ranging software development methodology to transform their customer experience.
Industry cloud is quickly emerging as the biggest trend in cloud computing. Given the benefits that it offers to different industries in terms of scalability, flexibility, storage and computing capabilities through customized offerings, it is transforming or disrupting the very operating model of most industries, for the better.
