Cloud applications can help business leaders take advantage of machine learning in planning processes, which, in turn, provides predictive analytics for different types of scenarios. Armed with this information, leaders can consider multiple viable strategies based upon real-time and often volatile circumstances. This is a highly valuable capability in the post-pandemic mix of economic risk and opportunity.

Research from the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) validates the significance of cloud applications. In a survey of global C-suite members, we found that top-performing companies were 50 percent more likely to be mature in cloud adoption, and companies already using machine learning were 60 percent more likely to be top performer