Cloud-driven Retail information transformation

Introduction: The advent of a new era of cloud computing

August 2006, Google in the search engine conference for the first time "cloud computing" (Cloud Computing) concept, announced the arrival of a new it era.

According to the benchmark definition, cloud computing is an internet-based computing model for sharing resources through virtualization, in which storage and computing resources can be dynamically deployed, dynamically optimized, and dynamically retrieved on demand. From the perspective of information technology, Cloud computing is a successor and synthesizer of the traditional or emerging technologies, such as Grid computing, distributed computing, networked storage, utility computing, virtualization, load balancing, etc.

Into the second decade of the 21st century, cloud computing has further formed the information trend of all kinds, triggered the information system, hardware and software products, it services, a major change in a wide range of corporate and personal information application aspects. "Today, do you cloud?" Become the key topic that every information person is asking questions.

First, the mountain rain to come cloud wave

Cloud computing concept and technology has become the theme of the Times, the world's major IT vendors have launched their own cloud computing strategy and the overall solution, for several in the cloud computing areas of significant impact of the landmark events are summarized as follows:

As the originator of cloud computing, Google has been on the march, relying on the distribution of more than 30 data centers in the world, more than 2 million servers, the vast number of resources to provide Google Earth, Picasa, Gmail, docs and other cloud applications, and published in 2008 named app Engine's Open cloud computing platform, Google stressed, "cloud computing is the future of the strategic core, this is a very strong model, but also the direction of industry development."

In June 2009, IBM launched the Lan Yun (cloudburst) program to confirm that cloud computing is an important part of the "Smart Earth" dynamic architecture (Dynamics infrastructure, DI), and depicts software development test cloud, SaaS Cloud, 6+1 Cloud Solutions for innovative collaborative cloud, high-performance computing cloud, Cloud computing IDC, Corporate cloud, and cloud computing environment.

In the July 2010, SAP launched a range of "cloud +saas" products in cloud computing, announcing that it would drive the future of the company's business with three major technologies, including cloud computing, memory computing and mobile applications.

In the November 2010, Huawei launched a global cloud computing strategy and end-to-end solution, and said that "as IP changes the entire communications industry, cloud computing will change the entire information industry".

December 2010, Ufida proposed cloud computing strategy, released the "Towards the Cloud Enterprise Strategy white Paper", is committed to become Asia's largest, the world's leading enterprise cloud service provider.

In May 2011, Kingdee presented the management and IT integration solution at the China Management Cloud Conference, and put forward a new development direction for the enterprise management in cloud computing era--China management cloud.

From the ideas and actions of the IT industry leaders, it is not difficult to understand, from the technical framework, to the management, and then to the business model, cloud computing caused by the storm of Change, is the Top-down, exhaustively to change the information of everything, but also deeply changed IT service providers and the customer groups they serve.

Analysis of cloud thinking in retailing informatization

With the development of business in breadth and depth, Chinese retail enterprises have more and more high and more urgent demand and expectation for informatization. So, this is the cloud is brought about by the information wave, in the end will the retail information how the impact? How to benefit Chinese retail enterprises? What is the cloud computing solution that meets the needs of retail companies, especially large and medium-sized retail businesses? The answer to these important questions seems to remain "a half cover of the lute", There is no system of authoritative achievements and logical deduction.

As China's retail informatization expert, "take the information to lead the circulation progress" as the responsibility, Haiding has been studying the concept innovation of cloud computing, technology evolution, successful practice, and focusing on the background of the retail industry, cloud computing solutions of the characteristics, content, application scenarios, management value, to explore a legacy, The road to information innovation in the future.

The master and use of cloud computing, first of all, is not the cloud technology of the parrot, blindly imitate, but lies in the cloud thinking of understanding and comprehension. Cloud computing is not the beginning of IBM, Microsoft, HP and other traditional it giants, but first by Google, Amazon and other internet upstarts advocated by the Declaration, so in its spirit in essence, highly embodies the open, sharing, collaboration, win-lose characteristics of the Internet spirit.

Therefore, in the face of the grand process of retail information, step development, cloud thinking carding and summary should include the following points:

1. Integration and application of management thought

No deep management thinking of the injection, the good technology is only waste, and can not create more value for the enterprise. The value application of cloud computing is bound to be accompanied by a series of management changes such as process reengineering, management flattening, learning organization construction, lean retailing, responsibility balance distribution, industrial chain integration and so on, and cloud computing will become one of the key driving forces, enabling agents and catalysts.

2. Exploration and Evolution of technical framework

Relying on all kinds of intelligent terminals access, simply through a simple browser can access the rich resources in the background, access to the corresponding information services, this is the most important and clear cloud computing advantages. And standing behind it is, based on the web of B/s three-tier structure, SOA service-oriented coupling system, resource dynamic allocation and recovery, mobile intelligent access, data integration and sharing, Wiki hypertext collaboration, access control and 3A authentication, and many other information technology, architecture design. And once involved in the bottom of the technology, software products, module configuration, version planning, more complex and changeable, "disorderly flower gradually want attractive eyes." Therefore, taking into account the forward-looking and maturity, "not selected the most advanced, only the most appropriate" is the inevitable assessment criteria.

3. The fulfillment and iteration of the demand of retail management

In the journey of realizing its leaping development, the retail enterprises have put forward many management demands such as group management, multi-industry integration, cross-regional development layout, network shopping and multi-channel retailing, excellent consumer experience, financial business integration, category management and optimization, cooperative partner life cycle collaboration, etc. Must be embodied in future cloud-based information systems. Therefore, the required cloud computing solution is not only to achieve the technical framework breakthrough, but also must inherit and develop the retail business accumulation, management precipitation, innovation, some discard, realize the retail management ability of the iterative transition and sublimation.

4. The adaptation and support of the innovation of retail business model

As an important retail business model, the development of large-scale channel chain is itself a process of informatization. And by the United States and other leading retail enterprises such as the innovative practice of the representative, large-scale collaborative sales model has also been the beginning of the show: to retail enterprises as the model of the leader and organizers, full use of the virtual reality of retail and distribution of the combination of models, to open the Sales service platform to connect partners to achieve more win and win and share value. And the cornerstone of the cooperative sales platform, it is necessarily the same open and efficient, through the parties to the cloud computing information System and service system.

5. The provision and sharing of information service in pan-ecological circle

Under the traditional business model, the informatization of the retail enterprise only focuses on itself, and the information service for the partners is very fragile, fragmented and discontinuous, which embodies the strong and egotistical color. In the era of network economy, the competition among individual enterprises has been replaced by the competition between the industrial chain and strategic alliance, so the scope of the retail enterprises need to be controlled extends to the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, which is unprecedented in the time domain, so it needs a simple and convenient entrance for suppliers, customers, Franchisee and other related parties to provide extensive in-depth information services pan-ecological circle. Naturally, cloud computing and cloud services have the same qualities and potential as those specifically defined and designed.

To sum up, from the perspective of the information innovation of cloud thinking, the understanding and application of cloud computing has shifted from simple it technology to a technological innovation-driven management change, and the realization of business model innovation and industrial chain reconstruction.

Third, retail cloud computing with mixed cloud and SaaS features

Haiding for the research and exploration of cloud computing, its essence is to create the most appropriate and sustainable enterprise-class cloud computing solution for retail enterprises. Then, first of all, we must make the most basic judgment, that is, to choose the appropriate mode of operation, suitable service mode, and then to clear the design concept, program planning.

1. Select Mixed Cloud as the leading operation mode

According to widely accepted standards, cloud Computing's operating model can be divided into three kinds, namely public cloud, private cloud and mixed cloud.

Public Cloud: Cloud computing platform directly to the end user services, end users through the Internet access to cloud services, but does not have the cloud resources, such as Google, Amazon and so on have built public services for the public cloud.

Private Cloud: The enterprise builds its own cloud-based information system architecture, provides cloud computing services to internal users, has ownership of infrastructure, and can improve services based on its own needs, and innovate independently, with many of the world's leading multinational companies already built into private clouds.

Hybrid Cloud (Hybrid Cloud): It combines both public and private cloud features, with its own cloud computing platform, the use of external public cloud services, or the provision of information services to external users.

The use of external public cloud services, with a number of cost advantages, including relief infrastructure investment, reduce management costs, only a small start-up costs and operating costs ... Everything seems to look beautiful.

But the challenge followed, for large and medium-sized retail enterprises, functional personalization, process differentiation, data privacy is the public cloud can not cross the "three Mountains": that is, enterprise software applications, business processes will have personalized, differentiated content, and constantly changing tuning, can not use a unified solidified cloud service platform bearer; At the same time, the precious mass of retail data is placed in a relatively open environment, at any time may leak, it is the retail enterprises can not bear the weight.

Therefore, Haiding that large and medium-sized retail enterprises for their own internal user groups, including group headquarters, business Headquarters, regional companies, distribution centers, stores and other organizations and individuals at all levels of information needs, will create an enterprise-class private cloud, grasp the initiative, guide the ability to meet the enterprise's own personalized needs and development and growth of dynamic changes And because the cloud computing system itself is highly flexible and resilient, private cloud construction and operating costs, while slightly higher than the public cloud, can still be effectively controlled and lowered, and are expected to be borne by retail companies.

At the same time, retail cloud computing solutions must provide a pan-ecosystem based cloud service for customers outside the retail enterprise, including suppliers, customers, franchisees, etc. And for external users, the public cloud of fair open, limited access, on demand and so on the characteristics of a high degree of consistency, so the retail cloud computing solution will be integrated into the elements of the public cloud, thereby becoming a mixed cloud. In particular, the external users here do not mean all the public, but specifically the retail business partners, there is a certain qualification requirements, such a public cloud for specific groups of people can be called the community cloud. The hybrid cloud combines the advantages of a private cloud with a public cloud, and the pattern diagram is as follows:

　　
Figure 1: Mixed cloud model for merging private and public cloud elements

2. Choose SaaS as the leading service mode

From the perspective of cloud resource supply and cloud service delivery, cloud computing can be divided into 3 kinds of services, namely SaaS, PaaS, IaaS:

SaaS (Software as a service) mode: to provide software as services, the use of multiple leasing (multi-tenant) way through the browser software application and value information to the user, so that users can save on the server and software procurement costs;

PaaS (Platform as a service) mode: to provide the development and deployment environment as services, users can create their own applications and deploy them to run on cloud computing architectures, and then pass it on to the user via the network;

IaaS (infrastructure as a service) mode: to provide infrastructure as services, the most basic information system computing resources, storage resources, network resources, using virtualization methods to provide users.

These 3 ways are unique, different, no good or bad, and from the Global cloud computing development, there are many successful deployment cases, several IT giants also released a comprehensive support 3 solutions, such as IBM's Blue Cloud. But the right is the best, the key, still need to analyze the industrial background and Enterprise's own information needs and application conditions, and then determine what mode should be adopted.

Haiding that with the strategy of "focusing on SaaS, considering PAAs, and consolidating IaaS", we can form the whole solution of retail cloud computing and realize the maximization of the value of the retail enterprise Informatization: From this, we will inherit the existing software capability and business accumulation, and integrate the third party application, build the SaaS innovation model and user experience At the same time, the appropriate construction of an open PAAs platform, collaboration with customers or ISVs to achieve the extension of the industry chain, at the IaaS level, with the telecommunications operators and other infrastructure vendors to work together to intensive use of cloud computing virtualization resources.

The 3 service modes will form horizontal layered cloud resources, cloud services, and be called on-demand by team members with vertical functional line aggregation (purchasing, logistics, operation, finance, etc.), as shown in the following illustration:

　　
Figure 2: Layered Cloud service diagram

Focus on SaaS, because the retail enterprise itself it research and development, deployment and operation of the power are very limited, even relying on PAAs, IaaS cloud services, it is difficult through independent software development to obtain good information application effect. And Haiding has been adhering to the "help customers will be management, technology, implementation and culture precipitation to the IT system", so the Sea tripod information program contains many of the connotation of retail management, only through the service of SaaS, can be effectively delivered to retail users, realize the maximization of value transfer. In particular, SaaS here means that in a private environment, the application pattern and user experience of software that is based on the enterprise cloud platform is very different from the SaaS model shared by multiple customers, such as Salesforce.com.

With mixed clouds and SaaS as the basic feature, to form a retail cloud computing solution from top to bottom, to complete the organic integration from the software application to the infrastructure, to balance the information value and the informatization cost, to take into account the advantages of building private resources and sharing public resources, will be very helpful for the retail enterprises to grasp the initiative and win the future.

Iv. from cloud computing to cloud management

Haiding firmly believe that "system is the means, management is the purpose." If cloud computing cannot drive management change and create commercial value, it will be difficult to take root in the retail business and bear fruit. Therefore, to carry out cloud computing and delivery of cloud services, we must give birth to innovative cloud management, which is the ultimate meaning of cloud computing for retail information.

1. The connotation and significance of cloud management

Although cloud computing is an innovation for information system, it is not original in its core thinking, it is not uncommon in energy, radio and television systems. The power system is used as an example to compare the role and role of cloud services, data center, Internet, and intelligent terminals in cloud computing can be corresponding to the power supply of "power, power plants, power grids, electrical appliances", the key concepts are "centralized production, decentralized use."

Large-scale channel chain is a huge and far-reaching business model and management change in the retail industry. Haiding that, "the business model of chain business enterprise, commodity structure, management standard, store image and enterprise culture is called ' mould ', the development of chain Enterprise is ' mould ' copy." ”

But with the large scale of chain operation of retail enterprises, stores, a wide range, industry, management concentration is constantly diluted, "mold" replication is often distorted board, the standard is different, personnel miscellaneous, resource dissipation, decision-making lag, low efficiency become sustainable development of enterprises, resulting in "Even without locking", independently, A dangerous situation that is large and not strong.

As early as more than 10 years ago, Haiding put forward the "five Unification" (unified basic information, unified procurement, unified distribution, unified settlement, unified management of stores) management ideas and system practice, has been many chain store enterprises (convenience stores, superscript, stores, etc.) the value of identity and practise. And today, not only chain store enterprises still highly believe in "five unity", many chain stores enterprises (department stores, shopping malls, supermarkets, etc.) are also actively trying to further centralized control.

Continuation of the "centralized production, decentralized use" concept, in cloud computing, cloud services, the connotation of cloud management will be more synergy to reflect the headquarters of the unified management perspective, more resolutely implement the unified chain of retail business standards, while achieving centralization of power and decentralization of the balance, so that the focus of more concentrated, let the dispersed more dispersed:

Data, standards, decision-making will be more concentrated and continue to converge to Headquarters;

Implementation, service, support will be more dispersed, and continue to tilt to the first line;

The above two use the process, the responsibility, the cooperation to penetrate through the integration, makes "the centralism" and "disperses" can unify.

Ultimately, based on information technology, relying on cloud computing, cloud management of the information support system can assist the retail enterprises, calmly completed from the commodity procurement, logistics and distribution, financial settlement, after-sales service, customer management, to recruitment training, shop location, marketing planning and other related work, reflecting the headquarters-store between the unity of knowledge and works, Efficient synergy to achieve lean retail, intelligent retail business dream.

2. The extension and value of cloud management

The competition of modern enterprises has changed from a single enterprise to a strategic alliance, an industrial chain and a pan-ecological circle, and the competitiveness of enterprises is not limited to the resources owned by the enterprises, but the resources that the enterprises can control and mobilize. Therefore, the management of retail enterprises can not be isolated in isolation, but need to stimulate the enthusiasm of partners, and standardize their words and deeds, to complete the enterprise from "Alone" to "and the world" profound changes.

It is for this purpose and consideration, through cloud computing, cloud management, to provide partners with the sharing of the pan-biosphere Information services, and the corresponding output of management thinking, business processes and operating standards. Based on the basic application platform, cloud management will have the ability to diversify, as shown in the following illustration:

　　
Figure 3: A schematic diagram of the diversified extension of cloud management

1 supplier-oriented supply cloud

Through the system docking and information sharing, improve the transparency and timeliness of supply chain information, reduce inventory, increase inventory turnover, thus improving the overall supply chain efficiency and capital flow level;

To carry out electronic orders, accounts settlement, performance appraisal and other aspects of electronics operations, improve supplier satisfaction, and save both the operating costs;

Through SCM (supply chain Management), ECR (efficient consumer response) and other services, the establishment of the two sides of the collaborative work flow, shorten the commodity innovation cycle, accelerate the new and old goods to change, improve consumer satisfaction.

2 Customer-oriented consumer cloud

Based on internet-based business and technology innovation, to carry out an efficient purchase experience, to meet the customer line online easy shopping multi-channel retail demand;

Combined with the network platform, to provide customers with catalogues, marketing guide, logistics distribution, consumer settlement, after-sales service and other diversified innovative retail services;

For wholesale customers, to provide multi-level invoicing solutions, to help them effectively manage their own business, and retail enterprises with the depth of the system docking and information interaction.

3 Performance cloud for internal staff

To provide a unified standard process application services, in order to process the delivery of documents to promote the performance level, and improve the various departments and the team's business collaboration;

To achieve accurate and timely data Analysis Services, to achieve a large number of data analysis, graphic display, trend warning tips;

Using mobile Access, remote office, online learning and other means to achieve information sharing inside and outside the enterprise, knowledge precipitation, sustainable training, to create learning-oriented retail organization goals.

4) to join the franchisee, joined the store to join the cloud

Assist to support franchisee, franchise shop to carry out daily invoicing business, and to assist its continuous upgrading of business capabilities;

Auxiliary franchisee, franchise to join the capital, the cost of payment, accounting and other financial aspects of the fine management, improve its profitability, profitability;

To join the company, the introduction of the franchise, management, withdrawal of the entire life cycle of meticulous management, the formation of rigorous and meticulous Alliance evaluation System, award excellent punishment inferior, leading the benign development of the franchise business.

Summing up the full text, a cloud stroll in the retail new era has quietly come. Sea tripod Long-term tracking Research cloud computing technology evolution, and with IBM, SAP and other leading enterprises to start long-term cooperation, sharpen their own cloud computing products, has developed successful Hdcard, JPOs, Otter, Hdec and many other web-based and mobile applications of cloud products, and in the supply of cloud, consumer cloud, performance cloud, Join Cloud and many other areas of cloud management, has a considerable number of successful practice cases.

Looking to the future, realize cloud thinking, delivery cloud services, enhance cloud management, to build a cloud solution in line with the demands of the retail enterprise's own development, thereby enhancing the enterprise performance and creating commercial value will be the only way for the retail enterprises to enlarge and strengthen, to carry out large-scale channel chain and to innovate the business model Let us embrace the cloud-driven retail information transformation, self-confidence calmly to achieve the cloud stroll!