Technology moves fast, but it changes faster. You use technology to keep up with your co-workers, and ultimately to keep up with your competitors. All this speed can make a person dizzy if you are not out ahead of the curve. Understanding trends in technology can mean the difference between increasing revenue on the one hand and a failed business model on the other. In this article, I will help put you out in front of the curve by showing you what is on the horizon in business computing. Some of the trends I discuss are already here, but they are in the beginning stages of implementation. Either way, in understanding these trends, you will be light years ahead of your competitors who don't.
Trend #1: Cloud Computing is the wave of the future
Centralizing your data and applications on the internet, or cloud computing, is probably the single most important paradigm shift going on today. Instead of operating a LAN (local area network), with all of its connected workstations and security concerns, you do everything on a hosted internet solution. Gone are the old security problems of connecting a network to the internet, since your whole operation is already on the internet. Users interface with the data using what is called thin-client technology, or what are essentially dummy machines. These new age workstations don't store anything on the hard drive, they just interact with the data and applications which are already online.
Trend #2: Mobile Computing is here to stay
If you can't answer emails on your smartphone, you need to catch up with today's technology. The trend of computing using portable smart devices like BlackBerry and iPhone is here. In the future, there will be greater and greater functionality offered in these mobile devices as the number of available applications explodes. Your business will be done on the go, in real time, without the need for later synchronization. Business communication has gone portable and it's time you join the trend!
Trend #3: Social Networking is the new paradigm of business communication
Does your business have marketing tools which utilize sites like Facebook and Twitter? Open sharing and transparency of data are the new trend in communication. A number of companies including Best Buy have ad campaigns which utilize Twitter. At the heart of this trend is the inherent power of a set of socially networked individuals, whatever the platform. Businesses will be creating environments like this on their intranets for their employees, to share ideas and solve problems like never before.
Trend #4: Trendy new products include the Netbook
You may have seen them around. A small (10 inches!) laptop computer designed for wireless communication and internet access. A number of manufacturers are hot on this trend trying to produce the perfect mobile internet device. This product has synergy with the cloud, as it is well suited for remotely accessing web based applications. This type of product will be developed further as the future in the cloud looms.
Trend #5: It's a virtual new world
Virtualization of servers, sort of like one server impersonating 5 servers, and pulling it off, is the new world of network computing. It's virtual reality for business. Which would you rather do, spend $100,000 on 4 new servers, or install software that creates 5 servers in 1? This cost effective way of handling the deluge of data in business today is just another trend with which you must contend.
Do you need someone to help you manage these trends in your business? Contact us at, http://www.multipointnetwork.com. We can help you understand and profit at the speed of technology.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_Johnson
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