IBM study suggests using cloud tech for driving business model innovation

More and more business officials are recognizing the utility of cloud computing for their business. However, while many owners have developed a cloud technology infrastructure in order to expand the scope of their data management without burdening in-house staff, a recent report published by the IBM Institute for Business Value found that the cloud is being underutilized with regard to driving meaningful business innovation.

Entitled "The Power of Cloud: Driving Business Model Innovation," more than 570 business and technology executives from all over the world were surveyed. After analyzing the results, researchers identified that 75 percent of polled respondents have piloted a cloud program to varying degrees with 90 percent planning to do so within three years.

While these rates of interest and adoption are high, the survey further indicates that cloud usage is oftentimes being left to the discretion of an IT department rather than being a primary focus at the corporate level.

In order to emphasize just how valuable cloud technology can be with regard to facilitating innovative business models, the report goes on to identify a multitude of companies who have utilized the cloud to their great benefit.

For example, the study spotlights an e-commerce website called Etsy that brings like-minded buyers and sellers together in a virtual marketplace for handmade items. In order to best understand what users should be linked together, data from over one billion monthly viewers needed to be analyzed in a timely fashion. While this project would likely have strained an internal data management system, shifting this task into the cloud allowed the boutique business to cost-effectively handle the project and provide a superior service to its users.

Business officials in Ohio looking to adopt cloud technology to drive business innovation for their enterprise can do so by partnering with a Columbus IT partner that can provide cloud computing solutions.

From our offices in Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, PRO OnCall is your single-source technology consulting service, offering managed IT support, unified communications solutions and on-call IT support.