Cloud Computing & The 4th Industrial Revolution

Cloud Computing & The 4th Industrial Revolution

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The world we are living in is one under the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We will be going into
more detail about the different technologies that encompass the Fourth one, but for the moment,
suffice to say that a company could not have leveraged the power of digital transformation if it
were not for the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Given its relation to digital transformation, manufacturers also tend to refer to the Revolution as
digital transformation 4.0.

Amidst all the technologies, cloud computing has proven to be one of the most integral ones to
‘lead’ this comprehensive industry 4.0 definition.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution- An Overview

The 4th Industrial Revolution aims to bring together potent technologies like Augmented Reality,
Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and 3D Printing together. The amalgamation
of these two technologies has resulted in completely changing the manner in which customers
and companies interact with each other.

This impact has been felt across all industries in a dominant fashion, but the story is much more
visible in the manufacturing domain.

With digital transformation 4.0, customers have become more demanding as the digital age has
given them access to a large amount of information, thereby enhancing their awareness of what
they need in the first place.

Cloud Computing & the Fourth Industrial Revolution

As a technology, cloud computing is an essential element of the industry 4.0 definition. This is
more so in the case of today’s industrial scenario, where the present IT infrastructure relies on
legacy systems(systems that have been in use for a long time).

This is where a completely centralized infrastructure takes things forward, increasing in
sophistication but also increasing in complexity. A big reason for this is because a company does
not operate as a single entity; it does so with a distributed set-up that leads to the integration of
units while also keeping the provision of additional entities in the future if need be.

This is where KBMax presents such a spectacular example to the world of manufacturing.
Because the complete tool is cloud-based, the advancements towards digital transformation 4.0
are not small steps, but significant leaps everyday, and this advantage runs from the higher
echelons of management to shop floors.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing in the Context of 4th Industrial Revolution

PROS

The advantages of cloud computing to open to the world of smart manufacturing are as follows-

Flexible and Scalable
Because this virtual infrastructure is offered by an external service provider(read KBMax), there
is a lot of flexibility on offer. Cloud-based systems can start and end, both at the click of a few
buttons.

In case a server gets a little stretched for performance, the capabilities can be configured so that
the system keeps performing at optimal levels. The importance of this flexibility becomes all the
more pronounced when the apps being used are unstable and possess a few attributes of
fluctuating performances.

Dynamic Costs
Other than flexible operations, cloud computing also brings in the virtue of flexible costs. This
happens because many cloud-based services come with subscription and payment models,
generating invoices only based on the services used.

This flexibility is not possible in the case of physical infrastructure, where every service has to
be present, irrespective of it being in use or not. It’s too static.

Extensive Support
The support and documentation offered by cloud services are a class apart, more so in the case
of niche service areas like IoT, where the extent of knowledge into it all makes the support even
more special.

Moreover, the support teams have enough potential to take care of any issue that may creep up
during the software lifecycle.

Should You Go For Cloud Computing?

Taking into account the 4th Industrial Revolution or the 4IR, opting for cloud computing is surely
going to be a step in the right direction. But it needs to be done in the right manner, and in a way
that the newly created infrastructure does not collapse right in the initial stages.

With KBMax, you can rest assured that this step will be one of absolute bliss.