Technology is an ever-growing field, but in the past decade, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of innovation. This trend of increasing growth has kept up the pace throughout 2016 and isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon. Here are a couple of thoughts on the technology trends.
Big Data
Big data has forever changed how we perceive many parts of doing business, from market analyses to recruitment. The amount of data generated all over the Internet is not unlike file drawers of any business. Although these dusty file containers may contain vital information, the fact that big data has turned it virtual means that now a lot of information can be processed in a matter of minutes.
Information is gathered from social media websites, as well as company files to create a statistically accurate picture of whatever a business requires.
Big data might still be a vague picture of what the future will look like, but it can generally be said that what not using the Internet once meant, is what not using big data means and will mean.
Smartphones
The smartphone is an invention so omnipresent that we often forget that it hasn’t been around forever. The technology, however, is here to stay for many more years to come and devices that are almost as powerful as cutting-edge PCs from as little as 5 years ago are nowadays pretty common and even affordable. 2015 has seen more than half of its Google searches take place on mobile devices and these numbers are likely to grow beyond 2016. Putting mobile users first is a vital thing for every business to keep in mind.
The world of apps is an integral part of the smartphone technology that has grown so tremendously that it has become a separate branch of telecommunication. It’s vital that every business realizes how crucial it is to have an app of its own, in addition to a website.
Security
While the fact that a vast majority of businesses is relying on their online presence means they can do business easier, this has introduced an increased number of security threats. New startups are constantly in the crosshairs of cyber criminals, owing to the fact that their security measures are weak and because they’re often linked to large corporations – the hackers see small startups as gateways to the big game.
Security threats, however, don’t only come from the virtual world – actual physical security threats are rarer, yet can be quite serious. Making sure that every employee is dispatched with a hid card (contactless smart cards) can greatly improve a company’s security levels.
Additionally, hiring a security team and a quality camera system is always a good way to go!
Mobile Cloud Computing
Mobile Cloud Computing, or MCC in short, provides real-time access to company resources from anywhere at any time. Everything can be done nowadays via a phone and there’s no reason not to exploit this to the fullest extent.
Cloud providers handle data storage, computing and complexity, instead of the mobile device and this has made the entire process somewhat cheaper, quicker and a whole lot easier. This increases productivity and improves field service operations, making the employee more satisfied. MCC is here to stay, as long as the smartphone is popular, at the very least, so you can rest assured you’ll be hearing a lot more about it.
These are some trends to expect as 2016 is moving on towards turning into 2017. A majority of those mentioned are more than likely to stay trending in the coming year and even beyond. If you’re a business owner, make sure that you keep up with these.
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in topics related to business technology and marketing.
