Enabler of a Connected Business World and Society
How cloud computing can help airlines navigate industry turbulence
By Natasha Kwan, Managing Director, Asia South
The past few years have been turbulent for the aviation industry, and we’ve seen many players taking dramatic approaches to cost-cutting. Some are leasing old jets, while others have opted for flexible scheduling or buying newer more fuel-efficient planes. One airline even went as far as to buy an oil refinery to control its fuel costs. Clearly, airlines are pulling out all stops to stay ahead of the game, and obviously recognize the need for transformational change. But if it’s quick wins they are after, one gamechanger that they should also be looking at is in the area of ICT.
Airlines are constantly grappling with huge quantities of data in complex environments, and global staff require 24/7 access to data, in order to keep ground and air operations running seamlessly. In an industry that spans the globe and never sleeps, international commercial airlines need all the responsiveness and resiliency that they can get. These are abilities that cloud computing models can offer:
1. Lower TCO: When employing cloud services, airlines remove the need to buy and maintain on premise servers and hardware (and the corresponding army of IT personnel needed to manage them), significantly reducing administrative and maintenance overhead.
2. Scalability: Computing power can be adjusted within minutes according to actual needs, which fluctuate with rapidly-changing business demands. Swiss company Jet Aviation, which offers a wide range of aircraft maintenance services, had about 1,200 staff who needed constant access to SAP apps. By moving to a cloud-hosted, pay-per-use model for around half its users, the company shaved 15 percent off its costs.
3. Fast implementation of apps and services: Instead of emailing instructions and updates to ticketing centre agents, why not deliver