A women holds her laptop as she walks in front of a cloud computing logo at the booth of IBM during preparations for the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, March 9, 2014.
A women holds her laptop as she walks in front of a cloud computing logo at the booth of IBM during preparations for the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, March 9, 2014. Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch

Cloud technology has been one of the most sought-after tools in business. Companies in various industries have recognised the potential relief they can get in terms of productivity as the cloud is known to streamline processes and operations.

According to CIO, 96 percent of organisations have used cloud technology, with some transitioning from a hybrid cloud environment — a combination of private third-party, public cloud services and on-premises — to multi-cloud landscapes that use many service providers.

A report published by RightScale this year detailed that 81 percent of companies with more than a thousand employees already possess a multi-cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 9 percent are equipped with a single public strategy, 4 percent have the single private strategy, and 5 percent have made no plans.

For the uninitiated, a cloud strategy is stated to be “about defining your motivations and goals for adopting cloud.” Some of these goals, which establishments must determine, include speeding up the application delivery for competitive advantage, enhancing the IT's effectiveness for the sake of the infrastructure and the crew, extending the business' reach when it comes to m

The report further elaborated that there has been an increase in the population of companies using various platforms such as Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In 2017, 57 percent have adopted and used AWS, and at the present, the said platform received a 7 percent increase, reaching 64 percent. On the other hand, Azure and Google Cloud respectively arrived at 45 percent and 18 percent, with the former at 34 percent and the latter at 15 percent last year.

RightScale's study also indicated that 38 percent of the companies this year now see public cloud adoption as their main concern, compared to 2017's 29 percent.

With more companies adopting and integrating cloud technology into their operations, the future of swift and smooth transactions draws near. And it seems that the influence of the said technology spreads across various industries. Here are some of the fields that have adopted the cloud for their processes and functions.

1. Marketing and advertising

Marketing and advertising is one industry that has adopted and benefited from cloud technology, per Inc. A report projected that the global cloud advertising market would record a 14 percent compound annual growth rate from 2018 to 2023.

To explain what cloud advertising is, American research firm Gartner defined it as “cloud-based services that support the selection, transaction and delivery of advertising and ad-related data in which content and price are determined at the time of end-user access, usually by an auction mechanism that matches bidders with advertising impressions as they become available.”

2. Retail

The retail industry also improved thanks to cloud technology. As more and more individuals — specifically 81 percent of millennials — rely on their smartphones and other mobile gadgets in shopping, many businesses within the said sector have implemented the use of the cloud to help them understand their consumers.

A shop can gather their customers' behavioural and demographic data, with the help of in-store sensors and beacon technology, and store them on its cloud computing systems. The information collected, such as what customers like and what their budget is, can be used as a reference in adjusting the business's strategies for its products and approach for its promotions.

3. Tourism and hospitality

One of the most unexpected industries to use cloud technology is tourism. According to a research, the said industry did not see investments in the cloud as significant. It all boils down to concerns surrounding data security and privacy, regulations, infrastructure availability and the employees' lack of knowledge in operating the mentioned technology.

The same study explained that if the tourism industry chooses to take on the cloud, businesses within the sector would become more flexible and have more means to access information and services. It will also give the industry the opportunity for a quick and less difficult way to recover their systems on the occasion of a single point failure.

In a recent Entrepreneur article, the cloud also helped the hospitality sector in improving the reach and efficacy of inventories, with distribution platforms powered by the cloud making it possible. Additionally, innovations like revenue management systems and booking engines advanced how vacation homes and small hotels conducted their operations.

4. Real estate

Another surprising industry to use cloud technology is real estate. Just like others on the list, the cloud is utilised to simplify the businesses' workflow and data management, among others. Some startups are taking advantage of the rise of the cloud and developed their platforms to help real estate companies with their services.

One of these companies is RESAAS Services Inc. (TSX-V:RSS, OTCMKTS:RSASF), a cloud-based technology platform based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Similar to other platforms powered by the cloud, RESAAS' platform aims to give real estate companies a boost in their services by creating a digital link between agents, brokerages, multiple listing services and franchises for easier exchange of transactions, information and communication.

RESAAS developed BrokerOS, a hub that connects agents from all over the planet for easier communication. According to the company, it can also refine the company culture and even lowers any liabilities that can become roadblocks for the business's success.

In addition, BrokerOS can also keep the agents updated through its bulletin board-like feature for any opportunities of collaborations and expansion of professional networks. It is an avenue for fellow agents to interact with each other as well.

These four industries have accepted the cloud in their businesses because they see how the platform can give them that necessary boost to speed up their activities and transactions. Now, their future is looking to be flying high as they ride along with the success of the cloud.

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