Is cloud solution an integration panacea in hospitality industry?

Today IT has its place in every industry, which means even in the hospitality industry. We will focus on the fact that utilization of the cloud is booming worldwide and also explain why and how. Indeed it is not just a trend; the figures regarding the hospitality companies which adopt a cloud based system testify it. Why is it relevant for these industries to use the cloud? Is the Cloud really worth this enthusiasm for hospitality industry?

There was a need of developing a system which enabled an easier share of data within people of the same company but also from a place far from the company. There are more and more devices on which people can be connected and work far from work place; it is driven by the globalization process. But it would be difficult to work effectively if it is impossible to promptly access needed data, the hospitality industry also needed to facilitate and accelerate all the processes through networks to stay competitive. That is why cloud computing process seems to be a logical and relevant step for the hospitality industry. But is there bad way to embrace this system?

There are obvious advantages to adopt the cloud: it is efficient, simple to use, economic, it allows numerous things that were not possible before and that ease communication and sharing. But when it is misused it could hurt the company and transform the advantages in disadvantages. It could even become dangerous when it is not well secured, once it is hacked, everything becomes accessible. That is why specialists are needed, to be sure to use the cloud for the best. There must be clear, strong and defined terms and conditions about everything that concerns the content of the cloud and the users.

But according to the authors of the article it is dangerous to see the cloud as a meaning to spread around the world and to play a role in the globalization. But companies must be focused on the advantage of the data’s utilization and the share of it in their missions. It is particularly needed in the hospitality industry because of its strategic complexity and heterogeneity. Therefore before using cloud computing process companies must understand the complexity of it and use it in way that will ease things and not the contrary. It has to be in correlation with the strategy of each company, and not taken for granted.

 Cloud computing has become unavailable. The technological revolution is evolving as a cycle and every 10 years comes a new step in this process. It started in the 90’s with the spread of computers, the 2000’s were the Internet era and as it appears, the 2010’s are the years of the cloud. Cloud computing not only offers a lot of advantages to individuals, such has files being available from any device, but it represents a strong competitive advantage to businesses since it allows a lot of budget cut; simplifies processes, and enhance the efficiency of the whole company. That being said, we cannot neglect the fact that the cloud represents quite a lot of risks. The concept of the cloud is that all the data that used to be stored on computers, or by hard copies, are now stored on huge servers located in a few warehouses. These can be the perfect target to cyber terrorism. And we already witness a few situations, in which terrorists hacked files belonging to individuals (celebrities for instance), or companies (Sony, recently). Since data are available from any device they have become even easier to hack.

The article also raises the cultural question. Indeed, if for us, using the internet and cloud computing is now totally natural, it is not so in many other countries and cultures. Indeed, some countries are not so familiar with this concept; companies would be pretty distrustful and reluctant to put their data online. As suggested by Anton Hell, the best option is to choose a hybrid solution with a mix of cloud based and hardware based storage. Therefore, even though we cannot fight the cloud, we must understand it and use it with caution.

Sources:

http://www.traveldailynews.com/columns/article/48282/is-cloud-solution-an-integration

http://stayntouch.com/cloud-hospitality-technology-just-trend/