Manufacturers set to save thousands with new cloud services

David Claxton, of Trivaeo, made the comment when unveiling his company's new cloud-based business workflow package this month (February 2013). Set to be formally launched in March, the service provides six business applications that integrate the workflow between 50-plus office tasks. Manufacturing companies will also be able to customise the so-called Crossroads service, without any technical knowledge – which Claxton says they can prove to themselves with a month's free trial. "Using cloud services to automate key office tasks, such as CRM, HR, document management and service desk, can transform an organisation, potentially saving companies thousands of pounds," comments Claxton. "We know, because we have helped manufacturing businesses across the UK to do just that." Claxton's comments are supported by a recent survey from analyst IDC (International Data Corporation), which found that most SMEs are able to reduce costs by up to one fifth, using cloud based applications. However, UK businesses currently have a 20% lower usage of cloud-based applications than European companies – although reports predict a 30% annual growth in the industry during the coming years.