{"id":2614,"date":"2019-12-03T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/?p=2614"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:02:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:02:03","slug":"the-best-reason-to-adopt-cloud-innovation-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/the-best-reason-to-adopt-cloud-innovation-software\/","title":{"rendered":"The best reason to adopt cloud innovation software"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cloud Migration is Continuing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started this series of guest blog posts sharing that\nmanufacturers are opening up to the cloud for their product innovation and\nengineering needs. Companies are asking, \u201cwhy not cloud?\u201d instead of debating\nif they should make the change, and we\u2019re starting to hear more questions about\n\u201chow?\u201d and \u201cwhen?\u201d they should make the transition. What is the trigger that\nmotivates companies to make their move to the cloud?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jim
Jim Brown, Founder and President of Tech-Clarity. (Image and bio courtesy of Tech-Clarity).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cloud is a Means to an End<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision on cloud timing varies based on each company\u2019s\nscenario. The first step in the transition is to understand what your company\u2019s\ngoals are in the first place. The change driver may be reaching the limits of an\nexisting solution, requiring new capabilities to support digital\ntransformation, consolidating acquisitions, or choosing to modernize IT\ninfrastructure. The impetus for moving to the cloud helps set the right\nobjectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our prior posts discussed a variety of benefits related to\ncost, risk, time, and resource requirements. They also looked at some special areas\nthat the cloud offers unique for collaboration and simulation. Cloud innovation\nand engineering software offers some very tangible value when companies are\nready to make the move. But what is the overarching value of adopting cloud\nproduct innovation and engineering software? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cloud should not be the driver, in the same way that the goal of a software implementation<\/a> should never be to \u201cgo live\u201d with the software. There has to be some tangible business value. For product innovation and engineering software, what better reason could there be than to improve product innovation and engineering performance? The cloud is a means to an end. The real value is helping manufacturers improve the pace and level of innovation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improve the Pace of Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improving product innovation and engineering is the bread\nand butter of CAD, CAE, PLM, and other engineering solutions. These solutions\nhelp provide the capabilities engineers and designers need to innovate\nefficiently. They offer collaboration capabilities that enable product development\nteams to work together so they can move faster and avoid introducing errors\nfrom disjointed processes. They also help coordinate processes and manage\nproduct development projects to ensure that projects are executed effectively.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps that\u2019s old school, and clearly, on-premise solutions\ncan deliver most of these benefits. But the cloud offers some special help\nhere, as well. Today\u2019s engineering teams are working with increased complexity\nand disruption, adopting new materials, systems-oriented designs, advanced\nmanufacturing methods, and more. To remain efficient, they need to not only innovate\ntheir products \u2013 they need to innovate their innovation and engineering processes<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the cloud help? Traditional software deployments\nlock in processes and capabilities until the next upgrade cycle. With the\ncloud, innovations, functionality, and techniques developed by the software\nvendor can be made available on an ongoing basis. Access to new features allows\nengineering teams to take advantage of new software capabilities faster. They\ncan seek out and try out new applications as soon as they\u2019re available instead\nof having to wait for two years (or longer) for their company to adopt a\nsoftware upgrade. In essence, this changes the pace of the way<\/em> companies\ninnovate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improve the Level of Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the cloud help improve innovation itself? What\u2019s\nmost compelling, perhaps, is when companies use the cloud to change the way\nthey work. New approaches like generative design and advanced simulation\nstudies allow engineers to explore new design options. Cloud software also\nallows them to collaborate more freely, for example, quickly sharing the latest\ndesign with a supplier for feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cloud can help drive innovation in other ways, as well.\nThe cloud opens up new ways to procure and access the features engineers need\nto do their jobs. This isn\u2019t entirely due to the cloud; it\u2019s a business model\nthat\u2019s been enabled by the cloud. Today, we see a greater ability to tailor the\napplications that a user needs to reach the next level of innovation. For\nexample, the cloud software often provides features by role versus buying modules\nthat have to be purchased for everyone. That allows a smaller number of\nadvanced users to get access to the advanced capabilities they need. These\nmodels allow companies to innovate their own engineering tools and techniques\nby making it easier to experiment, pilot new applications, expand on what works,\nand drop what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making the Transition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The takeaway is not to move to the cloud for the cloud\u2019s\nsake. Do it for the business value that the solutions offer. The cloud can surely\nhelp save money. But out of the \u201cbetter \u2013 faster \u2013 cheaper\u201d benefits available\n\u2013 \u201cbetter\u201d and \u201cfaster\u201d are probably the least understood but most valuable. Of\ncourse, \u201ccheaper\u201d is certainly helpful and can help fund the transition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a new company, deciding on when and how to adopt cloud\ninnovation software may be a no-brainer. Cloud solutions are now available that\noffer the capabilities they need to improve innovation velocity and outcomes\nwhile allowing them to take advantage of tailored access and lower costs. But most\ncompanies have existing, on-premise solutions that are critical to their\nsuccess and will continue to provide value. For them, cloud adoption will\nlikely be a more paced transition. For example, they may choose to add cloud\nelements to augment their existing solutions. Then they may gradually migrate\ntheir capabilities as opposed to a \u201crip and replace\u201d approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many options to consider and decisions to make. The key is to make them based on improving innovation performance and business value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the author:<\/strong>
Jim Brown<\/strong> is the founder and President of independent research firm Tech-Clarity. Jim is a recognized expert in enterprise software for manufacturers, with over 25 years of experience in application<\/a> software, management consulting, and research. He has extensive knowledge about how manufacturers use Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and other enterprise applications to improve business performance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jim is actively researching the value available from new initiatives and technologies including cloud computing, digitalization, product innovation platforms, smart manufacturing, AR, VR, and the IoT in addition to his core research areas which include PLM, quality, service, manufacturing, and more.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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