Corporate

Who knows? When it comes to the cloud, you might be the next Rembrandt, Picasso or Matisse

By Scott Salzwedel

It seems today we are surrounded by all things digital.

And while that’s a good thing, one important advantage of going digital keeps getting lost.

We all know how digitalization democratizes innovation across a variety industries, but it does another thing exceptionally well. It allows teams to scratch that creative itch. To explore and do some rather amazing breakthrough stuff that would otherwise be unattainable.

The new creative spark

Okay, so before that creative spark can be ignited, which might manifest as a new process, a new product, a new way to problem solve, and of course, a new way to build or manufacture – a few key building blocks must be in place.

A critical first step to a successful digital transformation is to realistically set your expectations; to approach the early stages with a “natural modernization” mindset. This is about identifying and then changing certain operations in a comfortable, intuitive manner. It’s the “walk before you can run” kind of thinking. In the early stages it’s important to have an agreed-upon timing and scope of your digital transformation. Are key stake-holders onboard? Do those in charge have a plan on how to communicate to the wider team? These checkpoints may not seem too exciting, but if you take the time early, you’ll get huge ohhs and ahhs later.

While natural modernization might apply to what each individual team member can do to digitally align and connect to an established process, “controlled automation” is the next critical step. In this phase, it’s about opening up the work silos and streamlining (and sharing) data across multiple teams and domains. This is also the time when teams begin to realize the advantages behind the Siemens comprehensive digital twin. Remember, this is an incremental process. You do what’s right for you and your team, at the right time, and move to the next level only when it’s comfortable to do so.

When you combine modernization with controlled automation, you’re setting up for some truly amazing outcomes. You’re getting the palette ready. Yes, we know digital transformation increases efficiency, improves productivity and delivers faster times to market. But enabling teams to think more creatively, to dream of numerous “what if” scenarios (and not jeopardize timelines) and explore the deepest recesses of their imaginations is an equally important advantage of a digitalized work environment.

To take these creative endeavors to the next level – and build a modern-day breakthrough, it’s essential that teams move their digitalization processes to the cloud where Software as a Service (SaaS) is a powerful force multiplier. A digital transformation in the cloud allows teams access with no restraints, users can personalize with no restrictions and scale their operations without boundaries. You can elect to have a public cloud. A private cloud. Or perhaps a hybrid cloud might be your best option. This is where the Siemens and AWS partnership comes into play. Siemens and AWS have been helping customers “create without limits” for some time now. Last year’s AWS re:Invent is testament to that.

More about the Siemens and AWS collaboration – Siemens’ Tosh Tambe explains in this video

In this four-minute video, Tosh Tambe, Vice President, Software as a Service (SaaS) portfolio at Siemens, talks about the AWS relationship with Siemens and how the collaboration makes our well-known Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software more accessible, flexible and scalable.

You too, can “create without limits”

The Siemens and AWS partnership makes digital transformations come true for a variety of companies. And it’s not just the huge enterprises with mega-millions to spend. The start-ups and small- to medium-sized businesses are also finding equal value in a digital enterprise. They have limited resources and thin profit margins so everything has to be exact with little room for error. No matter the size or industry the one quality our customers find most surprising is expanding the world of possibilities. To compete on a grand scale with a very small workforce. To dream of infinite possibilities – and turn a single thought into a legendary piece of work.

The Siemens and AWS partnership continues to be involved in numerous “create without limits” customer experiences. Here are a few examples on how our customers attained success by reaching new levels of creativity through their own digital transformation.

Space Perspective
As the only carbon-neutral, zero-emissions way to space, start-up Space Perspective is revolutionizing space tourism. After completing hundreds of virtual flight tests and simulations with cutting edge Software as a Service (SaaS) technology from Siemens and AWS, Space Perspective devised a pioneering design for a Space Balloon and capsule that places safety, thrilling views and in-flight interaction at the core of this truly remarkable space experience. A bold, brilliant vision realized with the help of the Siemens and AWS partnership.

REGENT
REGENT electric seagliders will be the first vehicles to offer safe, low-cost, high-speed and zero-emissions transport of people and goods between coastal cities. The start-up adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of cloud-based software and services to help pioneer a new category of air transportation. Cloud-native solutions such as Siemens Teamcenter X on AWS, minimized administrative overhead and allowed teams to focus 100 percent of their time on design, engineering, manufacturing – and of course, creating without limits.

Sierra Space
As a leading commercial space company, Sierra Space is using the Siemens Xcelerator software portfolio in all phases of the Dream Chaser development. The Dream Chaser spaceplane is the world’s only winged commercial spaceplane and Siemens Xcelerator serves as its developmental platform in phases such as structural, thermal, mechanical, and electrical. Siemens Xcelerator is also being used in software design, vehicle manufacture, verification and complete lifecycle sustainment. In addition to the Dream Chaser, Siemens software and services are also involved in the mind-blowing Orbital Reef, an inflatable space station that is truly both highly innovative as it is creative.

These are just a few of the visionaries jumpstarting their digital transformation in the cloud with Siemens and AWS. As their digital enterprises become realities, these organizations — and their engineers and staff — are free to explore myriad scenarios and test the boundaries of their imaginations. They have the time, the tools and confidence to innovate and stay competitive.

Customers discover that, with Siemens and AWS behind them, they can create something beyond their wildest dreams.

They can in fact, “create without limits.”


Additional links you might find useful:

The Siemens and AWS website provides a nice introduction to the partnership. You can watch a “Create without Limits” video as well.

You might like to download this industry white paper that goes into greater detail.

Read all Siemens and AWS blogs here.

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This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/aws/2023/03/29/who-knows-when-it-comes-to-the-cloud-you-might-be-the-next-rembrandt-picasso-or-matisse/