Industrial Automation
Why Material Handlers Should Get to Know the Cloud Now
01.31.2023
The world is changing quickly for material handlers. Currently, many of these facilities still lack an OT network—but innovative ways of working are set to change these outmoded practices. Once a warehouse establishes connectivity, new opportunities for efficiency and savings abound.
One opportunity that material handlers should take time to understand now—even if they don’t have a network yet—is the cloud. Instead of having your own hardware onsite, the cloud allows you to pay a cloud service provider to use their hardware. It’s like “renting” your compute equipment. For example, you can host your warehouse management system in the cloud by paying to use someone else’s hardware to do so.
This on-demand delivery of technology resources over the internet not only offers pay-as-you-go pricing and the ability to shift data center and server purchasing, ownership and maintenance responsibilities to a third party, but also brings lots of operational value to the right material handling facility.
The size of your facility, how many locations you have, your operations and your network infrastructure all play a role in determining whether the cloud will be a good fit. If it is, we’ve outlined five of the biggest benefits for material handlers in moving to the cloud.
1. Streamlined Communication from Facility to Facility
When you have locations spread out across the country and need to communicate with a single warehouse management system, making that system accessible from one centralized location—like the cloud—allows everything and everyone to connect seamlessly with less latency than other connectivity options.
The cloud is also a good place to house inventory management solutions so you can maintain visibility, track goods throughout their lifecycle and ensure coordination with partners to address supply and demand imbalances. In this situation, the cloud can act as a master database that houses all supplier and distributor information.
2. Cost-Effective Compute Services
What you pay for cloud computing depends on how much you use it—and what you use it for. When you compare those costs to the expenses associated with owning and maintaining your own hardware, including licenses, firmware and support, then you might be surprised at what you’re saving (and spending).
The cloud can also be scaled up or down as your needs change, so your data center operations are always in sync with your business.
Because the cloud service provider runs hardware for you, they also cover all costs associated with maintenance and upkeep. If a new server is needed, for example, they purchase and deploy it. When more data center floor space is needed, they make it happen.
3. Data Security
Some people believe that the cloud isn’t secure—but the opposite is true. In actuality, the cloud may be more secure than what you’re able to provide within your own network or data center. Cloud service providers hire talented, certified and trained IT security professionals who focus solely on security. Because their services rely on data security, they make it a high priority. The security of your data rests in their capable hands; they’re responsible for addressing anything that goes wrong.
4. Trusted Backup and Recovery
Cloud service providers have backup and recovery systems in place in case of natural disasters, human error or nefarious acts.
Your data is monitored and maintained 24/7 and automatically backed up. If something happens, all your data is backed up in the cloud and waiting for you.
5. Reduced Manpower
Depending on your situation, moving to the cloud may reduce the number of onsite network experts you need to manage your infrastructure—because it’s being managed by a third party. Or it can allow you to redirect the personnel resources you have to other valuable initiatives instead.
Count on Our Cloud Experts
Belden’s experts can help with your cloud initiatives by answering your questions and helping you decide whether a move to the cloud would benefit your material handling facility.
Our Customer Innovation Center consultants can help you design cloud-based solutions that support secure remote access, edge technology and data analytics.
If a hybrid network—part cloud, part on-premises—is a better option, we can help with that, too. We have cloud experts who can help you design your own hybrid network. Learn more about how we help material handling facilities.
Related Links
Material Handling Networks: Solutions for Poor Performance
3 Common Network Failures in Material Handling Environments
Create Your Own Path to an Automated Warehouse
About the Author
Maher Alali joined Belden in 2021 as a solutions consultant. His background as a network engineer gives him a hands-on approach with customers and a technological mindset that brings value to the network design and implementation process, including configuration, optimization and supporting network management systems.