As interest in cloud computing grows, so do the number of applications that companies are moving off premises and onto hosted platforms. Sales and operations planning (S&OP) isn't immune to the trend as firms strive to integrate their sales, marketing, finance, operations, supply chain, and manufacturing functions into fine-tuned machines that work well together.

In his recent opinion post, Why S&OP Belongs in the Cloud, Glen Margolis, founder and CEO of business planning solution provider Steelwedge, says the cloud helps companies achieve the organizational agility necessary to "quickly recognize, recalibrate, and respond to shifting demand in the face of volatility." Cloud-based integrated business planning (IBP), Margolis remarks, delivers on this promise because it requires executive buy-in; can be accessed anytime, anywhere; connects data points across the supply chain; and provides predictive (what if?) analytics. 

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