At its core, every business is a set of processes. Their purpose is to deliver value by transforming resources (materials, data, etc.) into products or services for customers. Thus, these processes define what a business is and determine how it performs. Optimized business processes can help efficient and effective utilization of resources resulting in improved…
Oil and Gas Companies Need to Create a Digital Transformation Strategy
We’re hearing the term “digital transformation” over and over in all kinds of industries. It’s more than just a buzzword, it’s an entire movement that’s changing businesses around the world. According to a recent Datamation white paper, “By 2020, 60 percent of all enterprises will have fully articulated an organization-wide digital transformation strategy, and will…
How Cloud Computing Allows Companies to Be More Agile
We hear the term agile used quite a bit, especially in regards to lean practices in both manufacturing and software development. Regardless of your own industry, agile practices can help your company quickly adapt to new challenges and solving new problems at a reduced cost with less effort than most companies have been able to…
New Cloud Services Expected to Kill the Traditional Data Center, Private Cloud
As early as 2025, 80 percent of all companies using traditional in-house data centers will stop operating those data centers in favor of a cloud computing service providing software-as-a-service (SaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). So says Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm that advises business leaders on trends and hot-button issues. Last September, Gartner predicted…
What Cloud Computing Market Trends Mean for Cloud Customers
Cloud computing is becoming a popular option for companies that are looking for a way to simplify their IT needs, increase their security, improve their productivity, all while reducing their overall budget. A recent white paper from Datamation describes three trends we’re expecting to see within the cloud computing industry, three trends that may change…
The Intelligent Cloud and how AI and Machine Learning are Part of It
It seems that everywhere we look these days, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are being touted as the next big thing. You can compile mountains of data, use an AI-based system to detect patterns and problems, and even begin to recommend solutions. In the financial technology world, AI is being used to power chatbots…
How Cloud Computing Can Reduce Attacks from Global Saboteurs
As companies grow in size and the amount of proprietary information they house, it’s vital that they protect themselves and their data physically as well as on the web. While in-house cybersecurity professionals are an option, it’s rare that a smaller company would be able to invest in and maintain a security system for their…
Why the Oil & Gas Industry Needs to Embrace the Cloud
Oil and gas companies thrive on the skills of acquiring and distributing their product efficiently and effectively. They find the oil and gas, they get it out of the ground, they transport it to the processor, and they learn the most efficient ways to do that. But they’re oil and gas companies, not IT companies….
Roadmap to a Digital Strategy for the Small- and Medium-Sized Business in the Oil & Gas Industry
Digitizing data in the oil and gas industry can be seen as unimportant or unnecessary — you’ve never done it before. The old methods are working just fine. You have a system in place that seems to work and you don’t see a need to change. But, what if a company could get a better…
Data Automation Can Reduce Errors, Improve Efficiency
Do you know how your business is doing relative to its competitors? Is California or Texas better for you to do business in? Are one of your vendors providing you better products than the others? These are age-old questions which usually have non-objective answers. It is the foreman who has worked for years in the…
