Which Technologies Will Be Big For Business This Year?

Technology is forever changing how both individual consumers and businesses go about their lives and operations. While consumers often find technology that makes their lives easier and more about accessing information ‘on the move,’.

For businesses new technology and emerging trends can mean major shifts in operations, huge cost savings, and a much better looking figure appearing on the bottom line at the end of the year.

We looked at the biggest trends for the year ahead, and at the positive impacts we can expect these to have on businesses around the world.

How IT Is Used

For years, information technology has been driven by an appointed status of being a ‘standalone’ entity. However, recent years have seen many businesses begin to realise that the way in which individuals interact with IT systems play an ever-bigger role than the systems themselves in the success of a software platform.

The ways in which businesses use IT are always going to grow, so the degree to which it is understood and embraced by everyone in a company will become even more crucial than ever before.

Going Even More Mobile

Leading businesses around the world have been aware of the power of mobile technology for years, which is why they now find themselves in such a strong position. However, even those who are streets ahead still have work to do in order to be connected with their customers at all times.

2013 will see more businesses ensuring that their websites are user experience driven, especially when it comes to mobile devices, and the development of apps, both for consumer and employee use, will accelerate considerably, too.

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A Bigger Cloud

Cloud services will continue to grow, and although businesses will still have concerns around security and reliability, once these are able to subside the benefits will be massive. Although we are still potentially decades away from an office with no computers or servers, just filled with tablets that access the cloud, more businesses will save themselves money by moving everything from data storage to website hosting to a cloud service, at least in part.

An added bonus will be the development of technology that allows employees to work solely on the cloud, meaning they can be working on one tablet, and then sign in on another device and pick up from exactly where they were. Apple already offer something similar for iPad and iPhone users, and as it becomes more widespread, businesses will be positioned to take advantage.

Niche Social Networking

While niche social networks have grown in recent years, expect to see even more of them emerge in 2013. This will allow businesses to be much more specific about the consumers they are targeting, rather than having to place themselves on Twitter or Facebook, for example, and hope that a handful of people in their target market just happen to see their message.

This will allow marketing campaigns to become even more focused, and from a consumer perspective, it will surely lead to an even more personal internet experience. How global businesses embrace these trends and technologies will be key to their success in 2013, those who are currently lagging in terms of their tech usage have a great opportunity to catch up with the ‘big boys’ over the months ahead.

    Robert

About the Guest Author:

Robert is an online content writer with an interest in business and technology, and especially how the two interact in terms of systems such as POS, cloud services, and mobile applications.