What Happens When You Hit ‘Send’?
Why the Cloud Is Coming Soon to Your Fashion Business
Let’s be frank, e-mail wasn’t developed for sample workflow. Once we hit send, e-mails with all of our intellectual property are now at the mercy of the recipient to forward designs, styles, even specifications, to anyone, anywhere. That’s why major fashion brands and retailers are turning to the cloud to manage this workflow in an intuitive and encrypted manner.
Apparel enterprises are not the only ones seeking cloud-based solutions. Gartner Research recently predicted that by 2016, most new IT spending will be in cloud computing. In last week’s InfoWorld report on this news, cloud computing thought leader David Linthicum said the primary driver would be “those in business who seek more cost-effective ways to provide IT services, decrease time to market and increase agility.”
How does cloud computing enable fashion businesses to achieve these important objectives, and eliminate risks associated with e-mail along the way?
In today’s 24/7-instant-gratification world of the Internet, solutions in the cloud give fashion companies an effective way to transition important communications out of individual employees’ e-mail in-boxes and into a system with tracking, analytics and multi-user access. Time is lost when the product development cycle relies on a web of e-mails between individuals and suppliers. This scenario is ripe for interruptions, confusion and delays when staff changes, leaves and even vacations.
While some worry about the security of data in the cloud, software providers have stringent cloud security protocols. By comparison, what security measures protect the data in employee e-mails from being forwarded to inappropriate parties or hacked? NBC Nightly News’ Stephanie Gosk highlighted this risk in her Oct. 31 report, “Email Trail.”
When there is an encrypted connection between you and your e-mail provider, no one on the network between you two can view e-mail messages sent or received. However, once messages reach your e-mail provider, all bets are off. The bottom line is that e-mail as we know it today has never been secure — a problem compounded by the myriad of ways in which we send, receive, store, and use e-mail messages.
Software provided on a cloud platform, such as FastFit360’s social communication solution for workflow management, ensures optimal security at the firewall, including port blocking, packet inspection, virtual private network, and more. All data traffic is on port 443, using 128-bit SSL. When you post comments, add pictures and upload documents, your information is available only to whom you have provided access.
Redundancy is also a key factor in security. FastFit360 Cloud runs on multiple servers, which need not be maintained by the apparel corporation. In addition to powerful encryption and redundancy, this benefit offers many advantages, including cost-efficient data storage, seamless maintenance, fast computing power and around-the-clock data accessibility. Let the journey to 2016 begin!