Did you know that computers double their performance and capacity every 12-18 months? Technology is expanding at an exponential rate, and the speed of growth is astonishing. If your business isn’t keeping up, it’ll soon get left behind. You need only look at companies like Blackberry, who were dominant but slowly lost traction and didn’t keep up in the smartphone market.
Failing to move with the times will be the ultimate death of your business. That means it’s your job to stay up to date, and implement the latest technologies. Tech solutions will improve productivity, and keep you competitive in the market. Today, we’re looking at just some of the available technologies that are becoming commonplace in the business world.
Cloud computing
If you regularly follow blogs, you’ll know that ‘the cloud’ is the most talked-about development in technology. Over the last five years, it has developed into an essential business component. So, what does it do? Cloud computing takes your files and data, and makes them instantly accessible online. It means you can share and access documents from anywhere in the world. You can collaborate and create communal calendars, for instance. It’s very versatile, and fantastic for efficiency.
Communication
As a business, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t think globally. You can now set up a conference call with Japan or China within seconds. By using technology to expand your communications, you’ll open yourself up to new business. You can expand into new territories, and easily build a global brand. Put communications technology at the heart of your company.
Analysing performance
In the past, it was much trickier to measure your company’s performance. And, indeed, the performance of your employees. Thanks to technology, you can now measure every aspect of your business growth. Whether it’s website analytics, social media metrics or detailed sales figures, it’s better than ever. It’s like using a microscope to dig into the inner workings of the company. You can learn all about what’s working, and what’s not?
Applications and mobile
We are quickly moving towards a mobile world. Internet access on mobile devices has now overtaken traditional computer access. Not only that, but many developing countries are skipping the computer entirely. They’re going straight to mobile. This shift brings with it one crucial piece of technology: applications. In the future, all computing and mobile technology will revolve around applications. I have spoken to Camwood – application management specialists – and they told me that more and more businesses are adopting this model. And this will increase significantly in 2016.
Understanding the customer
It’s not just businesses that adopt and drive new technology. It’s also the customer. Technology in the consumer sector is also rising faster than ever before. There’s a new iPhone every year, for example (it can be hard to keep up). If you think back five years, tablets were only a small percentage of the market. Even though tablet shipments have declined a bit, if you take a look at tablet shipments in the second quarter of 2010 they were 3.3 million units and if you look at the third quarter of 2015 tablet shipments were 48.7 million. It doesn’t take long for new technology to ingrain itself into your customers’ lives. Make sure you’re following the developments, trends and adopting what you can for your business.
Put technology at the heart of your business, and never stop evolving. If you don’t, you and your business cab be at risk of being left behind. And no-one wants to be the next Kodak or Blockbuster who didn’t keep up with technology trends.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
