How Technology is Changing the Business Landscape

Years ago businesses were making substantial investments in a hardware-centric IT environment, that’s what was available so that’s where investments were made.  Time warp – it’s now 2014 and the systems used by these companies are now not relevant to an operative working environment.  Software and services now dominate business efficiencies and investments.

Companies now are evaluating their priorities which includes refined and considerable focus on data analytics, tools to provide better infrastructure intelligence, cloud service growth and the importance of securing networks amid an increase in employees’ desire to use their own devices, anytime, anywhere.

The breadth and depth of technological advancements has never had the impact on our lives both personally and professionally than it does today.  It’s a mantra you’ll hear every 3 to 6-months as new technology replaces old ways in doing business.  Forward thinking evolving technological advancements will change how we do business and interact in general tomorrow and each following day.  Consumer empowerment, mobile, social, data and cloud capabilities are redefining the business environment in profound ways. 



Everyone will agree that new technology is being developed at an accelerated pace.  These developments impact our personal lives and the public, private and non-profit sectors.

Let’s look at a few of the trends in the market today:

Data analytics

If businesses are to harness big data and use this to drive their commercial strategies, they need to invest in state-of-the-art data analytics and business intelligence systems. Continued growth in the volumes of enterprise data available to businesses is only valuable if they obtain cross-functional buy-in in order to break down the many data and organizational silos that still exist within many organizations. 


Infrastructure intelligence

Depending on which analyst you talk to it is estimated that by 2020 there will potentially be 4 billion people online using 50 trillion gigabytes of data. The increase in data volume is being driven by the rise in use of business critical applications, mobile devices and the cloud. With storage growing at 20-40% each year, businesses need to improve their intelligence and implement an infrastructure to store such vast quantities of data. 


The rise of the cloud

Many IT managers foresee that the rise of cloud-based applications will have a tremendous impact on the way in which they manage their data center and enterprise infrastructures. Businesses need to manage these changes and the impact on IT personnel. Business processes must evolve in tandem with cloud adoption if organizations are to achieve the full potential of their cloud investments. 



24/7/365 business connectivity

The social and business implications of always-on connectivity are only just beginning to emerge. In order to service the demand for round-the-clock access to goods and services, businesses will need to invest in new technology and modify their working processes accordingly. 



Network security and the growth of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD)

Most employees and in particular Generation Y – new entrants into the workforce – will want to use their own devices to access their employer’s network,  Actually it’s been stated that many employees have been accessing company data – without their employer’s knowledge or permission.  Now there is a demand and substantial focus on improving security. Safeguarding networks is a must and requires the implementation of BYOD usage guidelines alongside technical controls that physically allow or prevent access.

Other important trends:

3D printing is another new technology that is rapidly evolving and gaining mainstream acceptance.  Augmented reality, which provides users with a real-time view of the environment enhanced by digital data such as text, sound, graphics and navigation, is already available via smartphones.  The use of wearable technologies such as bionic lenses and Google Glass type products look likely to become increasingly widespread. 
The ‘gamification’ of commercial websites, where businesses add game-like features to their commercial applications and websites that reward customers is also increasing in popularity.

It’s valid to say that businesses which fail to embrace the latest technologies run the risk of losing their hold in the markets they serve being left behind as competitors reap the advantage of controlling their costs, driving results, staying connected and focusing on their business instead of the IT infrastructure.

Debbie Brandt, Marketing Manager

ConQuest Technology Services

dbrandt@conquest247.com

April 15, 2014

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