As a result of the ongoing technological boom, the business world has undergone significant changes. With the tech innovation machine not looking to slow down anytime soon, the modern entrepreneurs need to keep themselves updated with regards to the latest business technology trends, even if this means extending the reach of their knowledge past their area of expertise. Here’s a list of technology trends to bear in mind in the coming year of 2018.
Big data
If you’ve ever wondered what the biggest tech innovation since the dawn of the internet is, it’s big data. You might not be aware of it, but you may, in fact, already be an avid user of this technology. Have you ever used the internet for professional purposes in any way? If you have, well, you’ve already brushed against the big data, at the very least.
So, how does it really work? To put it simply: this technology is actually a combination of every tool that the internet has to offer in order to find a particular piece of information. From market research to recruitment, almost every business department benefits from big data. For instance: reading a potential employee’s CV can tell you a lot about their professional self: their education, previous work experience, recommendations, and skills. What they can’t tell you is actually the exact piece of information that you need the most: will they be capable of performing the job to your satisfaction? Well, by utilizing social media websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, even Twitter and Instagram, you can learn a whole lot about their interests, motivation, etc. A good web designer, for example, will have the right educational prerequisites, but an awesome web designer will constantly post about web design-related things on their social media profiles, and you can’t really learn about this from a CV.
Smartphones
Ah, the pillar of the modern life – wherever you go, everyone has their personal pocket computer by their side at all times. Beyond allowing you to avoid awkward moments by constantly re-checking your social media pages and email, these devices offer an awesome opportunity to do, well, almost everything. Lost in the city while trying to find the office for your out-of-town business meeting? No problem, GPS has got you covered! Forgot to put necessary info into a presentation? No worries, access it through the company cloud! Don’t know a piece of research data? Well, Google it! The smartphone is no longer an awesome addition to an entrepreneur’s arsenal (as BlackBerry used to be), it is an essential part of a businessperson’s life! In 2015, more than half of global Google searches were done through mobile devices; imagine what these numbers are now!
Apps
It would be unthinkable not to mention the importance of apps in the modern business world. Sure, the smartphone already comes equipped with useful stuff (and apps) that make it a cool Swiss knife of a tool, but it’s the apps that have made this device so awesome. In fact, the technology of apps has become a separate branch of telecommunication – owning a website and establishing a thorough social media presence is no longer enough – most successful companies actually have apps now.
Connectivity
One of the pillars of modern business technology is not outlined in a single piece of technology, but rather on the connection between many. Everything is connected. Your email, your social media accounts, your PC, even your very smartphone! Video calls can be made through phones – what once used to call for a trip to a different country can now be taken care of through a conference call on a platform like Skype! This has brought the world closer together – partnerships can now be formed, regardless of the physical distance!
Security
With the expansion of technology and connectivity, the security measures have to keep up – with everyone being connected, almost anyone can learn how to harvest valuable data to their own benefit. Security technologies are likely to continue evolving with the goal of abolishing cybercrime, and they are likely to get increasingly cheaper, given the fact that the hackers are aiming at small, unprotected businesses in order to get to the big fish.
On the other hand, no matter how much we dwell in the online world, the physical safety still remains a huge concern. Luckily, tech innovations, such as HID readers and resilient access control software have made the job of the security professionals both safer and easier.
Working from home
Finally, the ability for many professionals to take care of their work from home has been quite a game changer so far. Not only is this often more convenient, but it actually helps cut the environmentally harmful emissions, that are a common side effect of commuting.
These tech trends are not only here to stay but are likely to become even more popular in 2018. Big data, smartphones and apps, modern security trends, amount of connectivity, ability to work from anywhere – what a world we live in!
