5 Business Technology Trends for 2021
Technology plays a more crucial role in the survival of businesses than it ever has before. In the midst of the pandemic, new digital infrastructures had to be built quickly, new training performed promptly, and new tools adopted by remote workers practically overnight. To stay afloat in a COVID-19 world even the most techno-phobic businesses were forced to pay attention to 2020 and 2021’s technology trends.
Here are the five key trends we expect to see in the future.
Work from home technology
The relevance of technology used by remote workers will continue to grow throughout 2021. Yep, we’re talking about you, video conferencing.
After a year of meet and greets on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, and GoToMeeting, it’s becoming hard to imagine a world before video conferencing. These platforms helped us train, interact, run team building activities, and collaborate, almost as though we were in the same room. The comfort level many of us now feel using these tools will surely motivate companies to invest in them even more moving forward.
Essential 5G connectivity
Faster and more reliable internet makes implementing new technologies possible. Since we’re relying on cloud computing, machine learning applications, and Big Data more than ever, 5G has made business technology tools accessible almost anywhere, anytime! A few businesses are leading the way, and many more are closely following these technology trends.
Robotic Process Automation
Automation increases efficiency, minimizing the time and expenses associated with repetitive tasks. Businesses that find ways to implement tools and processes like machine learning, Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) reap first-rate returns. Industries like financial, healthcare, and retail are some of the biggest users of automation processes.
Likewise, many companies have incorporated robotics into their systems within banking, recruiting, onboarding of medical patients, and tracking inventory and orders in real time. Implementation of these technologies has already had a massive impact on business processes.
Big data as an asset
Understanding customer behavior is crucial to the success of any business. That’s why using technology to collect and analyze data is surely one of the most important business technology trends. This is not only true when it comes to outperforming competition, but also when learning what your customers want now, and what they will want in the future.
With cloud technology, businesses can access data from anywhere. From storing, organizing, and security to automation of the same, data scientists have become some of the most wanted professions on the market.
Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality
Businesses are beginning to recognize the value of customers experiencing their products virtually. This has created a significant interest in virtual and augmented reality. Using augmented reality glasses (smart glasses) or headsets, businesses can place customers in computer-generated environments where virtual interactions feel real to the user.
And virtual reality is not just for customers. Machine maintenance, patient care, and education can all be improved with virtual reality technology.
Conclusion: 5 Business Technology Trends
As the world’s companies continue to implement these technology trends at a rapid pace, business leaders should carefully consider the potential benefits of their adaptation, weighing the pros and cons of moving fast, versus implementing a careful adoption strategy.