Microsoft-SAP cloud tie-up strengthens case for Openbravo Commerce Cloud

Microsoft and SAP are two of the biggest names in enterprise computing so when these two giants announce that they are to work more closely together in cloud computing, the shock waves will be felt widely in the industry.  Should Openbravo customers be concerned?  The answer is a definite “no”.

Clearly, the announcement could impact Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of Amazon, as it will face more intense competition from Microsoft and SAP for large customers looking to deploy enterprise appications in the cloud.  Openbravo uses AWS’ public cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering to deploy its software in the cloud — and so too do hundreds of other software vendors.

But we at Openbravo are not concerned that this development will affect us in any way; indeed, we welcome it as it helps us further the case for moving applications to the cloud.  After all, if SAP is prepared to move its mission-critical enterprise ERP products to the cloud, it confirms what Openbravo has long predicted: sooner or later, all business applications, including POS and retail management software, will migrate to the cloud.

In addition, more intense competition in public cloud services is to be welcomed as it will make it even more cost-effective for businesses and vendors such as Openbravo to run software in the cloud.

AWS pioneered the cloud computing space and has been the market share leader in cloud IaaS for over 10 years according to the Gartner Group. In its most recent quarter, AWS generated revenues of $4.6bn, so it is a formidable player and one which Openbravo has no hesitation in continuing to use.

According to the Gartner Group:

“AWS is the most mature, enterprise-ready provider, with the deepest capabilities for governing a large number of users and resources”

The consultancy notes that AWS is chosen by “customers that value innovation” and, indeed that is one of the reasons that Openbravo chose AWS to host our Commerce Cloud offering.

AWS is still the cloud standard, according to many analysts, and since Openbravo launched Commerce Cloud in 2016, the experience of our customers has been 100% positive.

That is particularly the case for retail organizations that had previously had no option but to run their retail business applications on-site and suffer the consequences — performance problems, scalability challenges, fixed costs, security issues and so on.

With Openbravo Cloud, running on AWS, those problems disappear. You get guaranteed levels of server availability and system up-time that are both difficult and costly to replicate with internal resources.  In addition, you simplify your IT operations by reducing the need to involve IT staff at store level.

You also get peace of mind, particularly when it comes to security, enabling you to focus on your core business and let Openbravo and AWS experts take care of all the security aspects.

To find out more about Openbravo Commerce Cloud read the blog post or replay our webinar “Introduction to the Openbravo Commerce Cloud for Specialty Retailers.”