Behind the scenes with Marinus: TMS in the cloud

Who tells them? Software developers, consultants or project managers without accurate knowledge of cloud technology. The result? Entrepreneurs who unjustly become distrustful of working in the cloud. At least, when it comes to a TMS. Because working with cloud applications for accounting, video conferencing or online banking? That is the most normal thing in the world.

Filogic co-founder and CTO Marinus Brink sweeps all these fabrications off the table in one go. In this interview you will read how it really works. And you will discover why a cloud-based TMS is even essential for your company!

What are the myths about a cloud-based TMS?

Marinus: ‘Most of the horror stories are about the flexibility and performance of a cloud-based TMS. There is a story going around that the cloud makes it difficult to add generic or customer-specific functionality. And do you know what is so striking? That this comes from companies that choose not to develop their software in the cloud. Simply because they know too little about it.

But what frustrates me most personally is that the opposite is true. The cloud actually makes it easier to add functionality. We renew our TMS continuously! Because our software is cloud-based, we are able to bring changes into production all the time.

Another myth is that the performance of a cloud-based TMS can come under pressure. I recently spoke to an entrepreneur who was afraid the software would not work with too many orders or users. He wondered whether his company did too much transport for the cloud. This confirms how many untruths are being spread. A cloud application actually performs under pressure, because you can scale in several ways.’

How scalable is the Filogic OpenTMS?

‘Just to be sure, let me first explain what we mean by this. A scalable TMS can handle rapid changes in workload, so that performance does not come under pressure. Our cloud platform consists of hundreds of so-called micro-services, each responsible for a particular aspect.

For example, there are micro-services for retrieving a list of licence plates, for storing a transport order and for calculating ETAs. Each micro-service has just one responsibility. This allows us to adapt every part of the platform without it affecting the rest. This is also known as ‘vertical scaling’.

On top of that, we can monitor a micro-service individually. Our platform runs on Kubernetes technology, which continuously keeps an eye on all components. Is the response time or the number of orders threatening to become too high? Or is the memory almost full? Then the technology automatically starts a new instance of the micro-service. In Kubernetes this is called a ‘POD’. The high workload is distributed across one or more PODs, which guarantees that the TMS keeps working.’

Can you give practical examples?

‘Certainly. At most transport or logistics companies, all orders are entered and large files are imported in the morning. So that part of the platform is busy around that time. That is why we automatically scale up with some extra PODs. But in the afternoon? By then all orders have been processed and things get busy in trip planning. Well, then we scale one down and the other up!

So it does not matter how many users use our TMS or what you do in it. It simply cannot become overloaded or slow down. After all, we can add an infinite number of PODs. In the cloud, capacity is unlimited, and this is entirely free of charge for our customers.

By the way, there are even more reasons to choose a cloud-based TMS. For example, because of the strong security or the many other advantages I have mentioned before.’

So how do these myths arise?

‘This is because many TMS vendors cannot or will not offer software in the cloud. We are one of the few on the market. So the rest come up with arguments not to do it. And the real sales professionals are pretty convincing at that. Which is quite impressive, because working in the cloud is completely commonplace. All well-known software is in the cloud. Think of programs for collaboration and email, accounting applications or online banking.

But as soon as it concerns a TMS, it suddenly becomes difficult and scary. Purely because there is still so little of it. And that, in turn, is because as a developer you need specialist knowledge. This is quite tough if you have spent your whole life developing locally installed software. That is precisely why Filogic’s development team is bursting with cloud knowledge and experience.’

What is the risk if you do not use a cloud-based TMS?

‘Then you are essentially working with a TMS that we techies call ‘a monolith’. By this we mean an application that consists of one lump of software code and is therefore extremely inflexible. Changes take a long time and cost a lot of money. Or a piece of functionality breaks during an update, for example, because everything is connected to everything else. Then part of your transport planning suddenly grinds to a halt. That is, of course, simply not acceptable.

In addition, a TMS that is not in the cloud often has trouble connecting to different systems. It takes too long to make this possible, or the technology makes it difficult or impossible. As a result, entrepreneurs are unable to send and receive real-time information, which these days is often a requirement.

Another problem is that, as an entrepreneur, you are usually very dependent on your IT supplier if you do not work in the cloud. Even for simple adjustments, such as removing or adding specific fields or changing a document or template, you need help.’

What would you like to say to those entrepreneurs?

‘That if you want your transport or logistics company to be viable, you really must make the transition to the cloud. You cannot stay stuck in a monolith. That is doomed to fail. At some point you can no longer do anything with it, because it innovates too slowly or not at all.

Flexibility is precisely so important in this sector, where margins are thin. As an entrepreneur you have to work smartly and efficiently to be future-proof. So you do not want to be held back by less flexible software. Because the idea is, of course, not that you work around limitations. That you still do tasks manually, for example. Instead, you should let a TMS work for you. So that you can focus on more important things!’