There’s more than one kind of agility.

These days, agility is a key aspect in any discussion involving “The Cloud”. One of the primary benefits of the move to Cloud Computing is the ability to quickly respond to changing needs and disparate environments.

However, it’s important to recognize that agility does not refer only to access to computing power. That’s the easy part. Instead, agility is key to improving overall business processes.

In his CIO.com article, Bernard Golden talks about the role that agility plays in increase competitiveness and innovation, both by allowing companies to do things they couldn’t do before and by letting them respond quickly to changing circumstances.

It’s often said that the “New Normal” demands agility. Remember that the real value of agility is not in getting better access to resources, but what you can do once you get it.

Kris Colby is a Director in Ariba’s Spend Management Services group. Kris specializes in strategic sourcing and risk reduction for multinational organizations.