Technology continues to improve at a rapid rate in the logistics industry. We are beginning to see growth in artificial intelligence systems and automation in the supply chain industry, all making for faster, more lean, and more efficient business processes. However, many companies have not even taken the first steps towards improving internal organization and collaboration by implementing a cloud-based management system.

Cloud-based storage and collaboration systems are on the rise, and for good reason. The system increases overall productivity by creating more visibility and opportunity for collaborative work as opposed to the old save-and-share filing system. But utilizing a cloud-based management system to operate at its fullest potential takes careful organization, as the most difficult phase of a new project is implementation and the front-end work required to make it happen.

Benefits of a Cloud-Based Management System

The following are a few of the proposed benefits of a cloud-based management system, especially for businesses in the logistics industry.

Increased Flexibility

Cloud-based management systems offer real-time updates on files, projects, documents, and calendars, making for a very flexible system of collaboration. Flexibility is one of the primary benefits of a cloud-based system and a key reason as to why so many firms are switching to this method of file and project management. In addition to the naturally added flexibility through implementing a cloud-based system, such software can also be tailored to fit the exact needs of your particular company. Cloud-based file and application management offers more flexibility than traditional storage methods.

Increased Visibility and Accountability

The collaborative benefit of cloud-based systems brings along increased visibility into the work of others. This new visibility exposes the productivity of employees at a firm and thus increases motivation in both independent and teamwork settings. Furthermore, the added visibility encourages more accountable and responsible work environments, making a cloud-based management structure appealing to fast-paced industries.

Ease of Measurement and Evaluation

Managing a companies data on a cloud-based system is attractive from a management perspective due to the added ease of measurement. While the added visibility increases accountability on a horizontal level, cloud-based resource management creates an easy way for managers to track the progress of employees, evaluate individual worker performance, and map out the company’s overall productivity on a per-employee basis.

Improved Communication

There’s no doubt that the number one benefit of cloud-based storage software is improved communication and collaboration. When work-related files and projects are stored on a cloud-based system visible to other employees, the work of catching everyone up to speed on a project is eliminated. Depending on the process used to store and organize projects in the cloud, the system should remove confusion of task-assignment and responsibility.

Better Resource Management

All-in-all, cloud-based management systems have one ultimate goal: to offer a better approach to resource management. A company’s productivity, growth, efficiency, and effectiveness are all dependent on their use of resources, and cloud-based software is meant to offer superior solutions to old methods of resource management. Increasing the visibility and communication amongst employees simultaneously develops the management of such resources, as all employees are held accountable to create more efficient and organized methods of placing, tracking, and working on various projects stored in the cloud.

Issues with Cloud-Based Management Systems

While cloud-based management systems are great, there are a few things you should be aware of.

Accidental Deleting of Files

Unfortunately, since everyone in an organization has access to the same files in a cloud-based management system, data may easily be deleted by anyone. Accidentally deleting a file or data from the system could cause it to be lost forever. If your company plans on migrating to a cloud-based management system, make sure that the server provider has security locks and backup options. This issue can be avoided with systems that leave deleting permissions to admins exclusively. If the provider also has roll-back options to view previous versions of your server, you can safeguard yourself from losing tons of data.

Tampering With Irrelevant Files

Cloud-based management systems give everyone visibility of the companies files. What this entails is that documents may be viewable across departments. It is common for employees to accidentally end up in the wrong file, make changes, realize they are in the wrong place, and leave without correcting their additions. This can make for organizational headaches as changes are being made by non-relevant personnel and it is difficult to back-trace to the original document without doing a server roll-back. Before choosing a server provider, check to see if there are permission options. Many server providers offer “locking” services to make certain files or folders viewable by only the correct person, team, or department.

Software Attacks and Hackers

Whenever you put something on the cloud, it is officially backed-up and located on an online server. While the server is only accessible by your company, the fact that the information is in online storage makes it susceptible to a possible ransomware attack. Although most companies never encounter these issues, hackers and getting more clever these days. Talk with your server provider about what added security measures both you and them can take to steer clear of ransomware mishaps and keep hackers away.

Conclusion

Cloud-based management systems are offering a much brighter future to the world of data management in business. Maintaining congruency of information across departments, teams, and managers is the primary purpose of cloud systems. If your company has suffered from lack of communication, management of data, or speed of information transfer, migrating to a cloud-based management system may be your best option. Just be wary of the potential pitfalls of this method. Properly training your team on what files they are allowed to access as well as how to make edits is crucial. Otherwise you’ll be back at square one – trying to clean up data that never should have been disorganized in the first place.

We can speak from experience at Interlog USA, as using a cloud-based management system provider is what keeps our team so connected. If you have any questions about how to prepare for migrating to a server, or are still deciding whether it’s a good option or not, call our team at Interlog USA and we would be happy to tell you about it!